MALAYSIA Solidarity Families in Hope (MASFIH) has urged the Malaysian government to actively maintain diplomatic channels with Nepal and China to aid families seeking closure regarding 54 citizens who remain missing following devastating floods and landslides in Nepal on August 26.
Spokesperson Dr Manivannan Rethinam noted that the appeal follows an announcement by Nepal’s National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority (NDRRMA) confirming the conclusion of Search and Rescue (SAR) operations, with local authorities transitioning efforts toward search and recovery.
Wisma Putra officially informed next of kin regarding the operational shift on Friday via its official WhatsApp channel, assuring relatives that Malaysia’s ongoing efforts to verify the status of the missing citizens persist.
Dr Manivannan stated that while MASFIH understands Nepal’s decision based on operational conditions, safety, accessibility, and local authority assessments, the conclusion of SAR operations must not mark the end of Malaysia’s efforts to obtain definitive answers.
To expedite forensic identification, MASFIH requested that 20 additional deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) samples from affected Malaysian families be submitted immediately to Chinese authorities for cross-matching.
He explained that only three DNA samples have been submitted thus far out of a cohort of 23 Malaysians who were travelling together, adding that surrendering the remaining 20 samples would ensure a complete dataset is available for comparison.
Additionally, Dr Manivannan revealed that MASFIH had previously requested Wisma Putra to share catalogues of personal effects recovered at Gyirong Port with next of kin, though no updates have been provided to date.
Nepali authorities previously published a list of 537 missing foreign nationals from over 30 countries following catastrophic flooding in the Rasuwa district, which initially left 55 Malaysians unaccounted for before one individual was confirmed safe and repatriated on Saturday. - October 4, 2026
.jpeg)
