One of the 55 Malaysians reported missing following the floods and landslides in Nepal last August has been confirmed safe and returned to Malaysia on Oct 2, ending 37 days of uncertainty for his family.
Malaysia Solidarity: Families in Hope (MASFIH) spokesman Dr Manivannan Rethinam said the man went to the Malaysian Embassy in Kathmandu on his own on Oct 1 before departing for home and arriving in Malaysia this morning.
The Foreign Ministry informed the next-of-kin WhatsApp group, “KLN-NOK”, of the development, although the individual’s identity was not disclosed.
Manivannan said the man was the only solo traveller among the original 55 Malaysians reported missing.
He was last known to have been at Nagthali Viewpoint at 3.26 pm on Aug 25, a day before the floods and landslides struck.
According to information from his family, the man became stranded after roads and bridges were destroyed, while disruptions to electricity, clean water and telecommunications made travel and communication difficult.
Manivannan said the development indicated that other missing Malaysians could also be stranded and unable to make contact due to damaged infrastructure.
The number of Malaysians still unaccounted for has now fallen to 54, all of whom were travelling in separate groups.
The Aug 26 floods and debris flows, triggered by glacial ice and rock collapses in the upper catchment of Lhende Khola in Tibet, were reported to have killed more than 1,450 people, with thousands more still unaccounted for.
