KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 27 (Bernama) — The Malaysian Embassy in Kathmandu is in close contact with hospitals in the Nepalese capital to identify if there are Malaysians who have been brought for treatment following the massive floods that hit the country.
Charge d’Affaires ad interim of the Malaysian Embassy in Kathmandu Mohd Firdaus Azman said the move was taken following communication constraints with those in the affected areas.
“Given that communication constraints with them are currently affected, we are in close contact with hospitals, especially in Kathmandu, to identify if there are Malaysians who have been brought to Kathmandu for treatment,” he said in an interview with RTM, today.
A total of 55 Malaysians who were reported to the Malaysian Embassy in Kathmandu have now failed to be contacted following the flooding and destruction caused by the overflow of the Bhote Koshi River in the Rasuwa district, Nepal, on Wednesday, according to the Foreign Ministry (Wisma Putra).
In a statement today, the ministry said the information was based on the latest developments received from family members, travel agencies and other relevant sources.
Mohd Firdaus said Nepalese authorities had mobilised search and rescue machinery with priority given to seriously injured victims to be taken to Kathmandu for treatment while lightly injured victims were being treated in the affected areas.
However, he said search and rescue operations were facing challenges as the road leading to the affected area was reported to have been severely damaged for 40 kilometres, making the area inaccessible by road.
He said the massive floods had also affected local residents as several towns along the Bhote Koshi and Trishuli Rivers were destroyed.
In this regard, Mohd Firdaus advised Malaysians in Nepal to always comply with the authorities’ instructions from time to time, while family members in Malaysia who were unable to contact their family members were asked to immediately contact the Malaysian Embassy in Kathmandu.
— BERNAMA