KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 2 — One of the 55 Malaysians reported to have lost contact following floods and landslides in Nepal in August has been confirmed safe and has returned to Malaysia.
Malaysia Solidarity: Families in Hope (MASFIH) spokesman Manivannan Rethinam said the man went to the Malaysian Embassy in Kathmandu on his own yesterday before departing for home and arriving in the country this morning.
The Foreign Ministry conveyed the matter through the next-of-kin WhatsApp group, ‘KLN-NOK’, this morning, but did not disclose the individual's name.
“The individual was travelling alone and was the only solo traveller among the original list of 55 Malaysians (reported missing) who has now been confirmed safe.
“We were informed that the individual was at Nagthali Viewpoint at 3.26pm on August 25, a day before the floods and landslides occurred. Nagthali Viewpoint is a highland area and is situated at a much higher elevation than the Rasuwagadhi area,” he said in a statement today.
Manivannan added that, based on information from the family, the man was stranded after roads and bridges were destroyed and electricity, clean water, and telecommunications access were cut off, making movement difficult.
This development provided an important indication that disaster victims could be safe but stranded and uncontactable for an extended period because damage to basic infrastructure and disrupted communication facilities.
It also meant that 54 Malaysians remain missing, with all of them travelling in separate groups.
“For MASFIH, this development is not merely a change in the number from 55 to 54. It is about a family finally being reunited with their loved one after 37 days of uncertainty.
“We hope his safe return will continue to be a beacon of hope for the other 54 families that their loved ones may also still be out there and may one day return to them,” he said.
The floods and debris flows on August 26, triggered by glacial ice and rock collapses in the upper catchment area of Lhende Khola in Tibet, were reported to have claimed more than 1,450 lives, while thousands more remain unaccounted for.
