Malaysia to End Search for 55 Missing Citizens in Nepal

Thirty-three days after glacial flash floods struck Nepal, families of 55 missing Malaysians pressed government officials in Putrajaya for legal relief regarding prolonged financial limbo, even as authorities confirmed search operations are drawing to a close.

Wisma Putra Briefing Reveals Search Limitations and DNA Processing

More than a month after a massive glacial flash flood and debris flow killed over 1,450 people in the upper Lhende Khola catchment area of Tibet and Nepal on August 26, families of 55 uncontactable citizens gathered at Wisma Putra for a closed-door briefing. Representatives from the National Disaster Management Agency (NADMA), the Special Malaysia Disaster Assistance and Rescue Team (SMART), the Royal Malaysia Police (PDRM), the Chemistry Department, the National Registration Department, and the Social Welfare Department addressed 105 family members during the four-hour session.

Families pressed officials on why the 11-member SMART team, deployed to Nepal on September 5, did not concentrate ground searches and drone surveillance in the Rasuwagadhi area near the Nepal-Tibet border, which is believed to be the last known location for many of the missing citizens. According to Malaysia Solidarity: Families in Hope (MASFIH) spokesman Dr Manivannan Rethinam, the Malaysian Embassy in Kathmandu had indeed requested that Nepalese authorities extend the search zone from Rasuwagadhi to Syabrubesi.

“Their (SMART) search area is focused on areas C and D. They cover from Timure to Syabrubesi. That is not the focal area where many Malaysians are missing because we have information on the last known locations and most of them are concentrated in the Rasuwagadhi area, on the Tibet-Nepal border.”

Dr Manivannan Rethinam, MASFIH spokesman, via Malay Mail

Families learned that the SMART team’s operational boundaries were restricted by Nepalese authorities, keeping access to certain border zones out of Malaysian control before the team returned home on September 14. Regarding identification, PDRM has gathered 98 DNA samples from next-of-kin, all processed by the Chemistry Department by September 24. While earlier reports suggested Nepal lacked the expertise to process disaster victims’ DNA, the Malaysian Embassy in Kathmandu confirmed that Nepalese authorities now have sufficient expertise to handle the testing locally.

Financial and Legal Limbo Sparks Pleas for Government Intervention

With search efforts winding down, families face severe legal and financial hurdles. Relatives are struggling to access bank accounts, manage insurance policies, and service vehicle loans registered under the names of missing individuals. MASFIH formally requested a special government intervention, urging Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim to secure an expedited declaration of death rather than forcing families to wait out the standard seven-year requirement.

Malaysia to End Search for 55 Missing Citizens in Nepal — Photo: NST

Families also called for a temporary freeze on financial obligations tied to the missing citizens. Divya Varshini Krishnan, whose 74-year-old father Krishnan Vadivelu remains missing, voiced frustration over the complexity of the legal procedures and the limited time allotted for questions during the briefing.

“I feel like they have to understand, we are normal people. We are not from a legal background or any high-clearance background to understand those things. They have to be very clear. When people ask questions again and again, they say it has already been repeated. But they have to give an opportunity for others.”

Divya Varshini Krishnan, family member, via NST

Not all relatives shared the same frustration. Adura Masood, wife of missing trekker Dr Padzil Daros, expressed acceptance of the outcome after the session.

Diplomatic Engagements and Cross-Border DNA Coordination

The diplomatic push to resolve the crisis spans multiple nations. On September 22, Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim spoke by phone with Nepalese Prime Minister Balendra Shah before departing for a working visit to China. Anwar conveyed the families’ deep anxieties and proposed a formal mechanism to handle administrative, legal, and financial fallout if the missing citizens are never found. Prime Minister Shah assured him that search operations would persist despite terrain conditions he likened to a tsunami.

Search for 55 Malaysians missing in Nepal to end soon

On the identification front, three DNA profiles have already been transmitted to Chinese authorities because three of the missing Malaysians possess immigration records in Tibet. MASFIH has asked officials to examine whether additional members of trekking groups with similar travel history might have crossed that border. The Malaysian Embassy in Beijing informed relatives that families possessing specific location data can submit it for direct discussion with Chinese counterparts.

Prime Minister Anwar is slated to send an official letter to Nepalese Prime Minister Shah detailing the proposed administrative framework, while MASFIH continues to push for a dedicated meeting involving Bank Negara Malaysia and the Attorney General’s Chambers to address the families’ immediate debt and asset management burdens.