KUALA LUMPUR — One of 55 Malaysians who 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) spokesperson Dr Manivannan Rethinam said the man went to the Malaysian Embassy in Kathmandu on his own yesterday before travelling home and arriving safely this morning, Bernama reported.
He said the Foreign Ministry informed the next-of-kin WhatsApp group about the development today, but did not disclose the man’s identity.
“The individual travelled alone and is the only solo traveller to have been confirmed safe from the original list of 55 Malaysians (reported missing).
“We were informed that the individual was at Nagthali Viewpoint at 3.26pm on Aug 25, a day before the floods and landslides occurred on Aug 26. Nagthali Viewpoint is a high-altitude area and is considerably higher than the Rasuwagadhi area,” he said in a statement today.
Manivannan said information from the man’s family indicated that he had been stranded after roads and bridges were destroyed, while the loss of electricity, clean water supplies and telecommunications access further restricted his movement.
He said the development showed that some people caught up in the disaster could have survived but remained stranded and unable to contact their families because of extensive damage to infrastructure and communications networks.
With the latest development, 54 Malaysians remain uncontactable, all of whom had travelled in separate groups.
“For MASFIH, this development is not merely a change in the number from 55 to 54, but 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 ray of hope for the other 54 families, that their loved ones may also still be out there and one day return to them,” he said.
Flooding and debris flows on Aug 26, triggered by ice and rock avalanches in the upper catchment of the Lhende Khola in Tibet, were reported to have killed more than 1,450 people, while thousands more remained unaccounted for. – October 2, 2026