Kathmandu: After nearly two weeks in Nepal awaiting news of her husband, who is still missing in the flood tragedy in Rasuwa, Hani Othman continues to hope that the prayers of Malaysians will accompany the search and rescue (SAR) efforts currently being carried out by the Malaysian Special Search and Rescue Team (SMART) in the country.
According to BERNAMA News Agency, Hani, who is now entering her 13th day in Nepal to follow developments in the search for her husband, Fire and Rescue Department Air Special Force (PASKUB) officer Mohd Fakhrul Munir Mohd Isa, said she has yet to receive the latest updates from Wisma Putra regarding the search for her husband. "I hope Malaysians will continue to pray for my husband and that SMART's operational efforts run smoothly. I have confidence in SMART's capabilities, and I will not go to the location where the SMART team is stationed because I need to settle other matters," she said when contacted by Bernama today.
Hani said she is also still unsure when she will return to Malaysia as she still has several matters that need to be resolved. Meanwhile, she mentioned that Mohd Fakhrul Munir's elder brother has provided a deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) sample in Malaysia to assist with the identification process should it be required by the authorities.
Mohd Fakhrul Munir, 44, affectionately known as Loe, was reported missing along with eight other Malaysians after the four-wheel-drive vehicle they were traveling in during an expedition to the Everest Base Camp (EBC) was believed to have been hit by floods while passing through a valley in Rasuwa on August 26. Also in the group was Malaysian Fire and Rescue Department (JBPM) Fire and Rescue Operations Division Deputy Director Mohd Sani Harul, 59, along with seven other Malaysians and a Nepalese national.
A total of 55 Malaysians have been reported still uncontactable following the disaster, while 77 others found safe in Tibet and Nepal have been brought to Kathmandu to undergo procedures before returning to Malaysia. According to Nepal's National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority, at least 1,350 people have died while nearly 5,000 others remain missing due to the floods that hit the country on August 26.
The media previously reported that 11 SMART officers and personnel arrived in Nepal last Sunday and have established a forward base in Dhunchen for disaster operation management in the Rasuwa area covering Timure, Syafrubesi, Dhunche, and Mailung.