PUTRAJAYA — The Special Malaysia Disaster Assistance and Rescue Team (SMART) is waiting for the green light from Nepal’s government on its deployment to aid in search and rescue operations there following massive flooding in the country.
SMART commander Senior Fire and Rescue Officer 1 (PgKB 1) Abdul Manaf Che Isa said the team was fully prepared to carry out the mission.
“As of this morning, we are still waiting for feedback from the Nepalese government regarding its readiness to receive the (SAR) team from Malaysia,” he told Bernama when met during the National Day 2026 celebrations at Dataran Putrajaya here today.
“Following the statement by the Prime Minister (Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim) regarding the deployment of the SMART team to Nepal, the team is basically fully prepared,” he added.
Coordination for the team’s deployment will be done the Foreign Ministry, National Security Council (MKN) and National Disaster Management Agency (NADMA).
Earlier, Abdul Manaf inspected the final preparations of the SMART contingent led by Captain Plaveanus Bernard, comprising 112 personnel participating in the parade in conjunction with the National Day 2026 celebrations.
Yesterday, Anwar in a statement said Malaysia has decided to send a SMART team to Nepal to assist in SAR operations following the devastating floods in the country.
Anwar said the team had also been tasked with locating and bringing home Malaysians affected by the disaster, as well as assisting the Malaysian Embassy in Nepal in coordinating aid and ensuring their safety and welfare.
Additionally, Malaysia will contribute USD1 million to Nepal to assist those affected and support post-disaster recovery efforts.
On Saturday, Wisma Putra said that the number of Malaysians reported uncontactable remained at 36 in China and 55 following the floods and landslides that struck Nepal’s Rasuwa District on Aug 26.
The Anadolu Agency reported today that the death toll from the severe flash floods and landslides in Nepal and China’s Tibet region had risen to 804, while nearly 3,300 people remained missing. — August 31, 2026