33 days after Nepal floods, families of 55 missing Malaysians still in limbo

The families of 55 Malaysians still missing following a glacial flash flood disaster in Nepal on Aug 26 are seeking clarity on the search for their loved ones as the wait enters day 33.

S Punitha, aunt of missing Suguna Balan, 33, said the families were not only grappling with uncertainty over the fate of their loved ones but also feeling the financial and emotional toll of the ordeal.

She said Suguna was the main breadwinner for her family, which now needs clear information on what to do next.

“We hope we can get solid information about what happened and what steps we need to take. It has been 33 days, but we still have no news about the 55 missing people.

“We have not even been told whether their belongings, such as luggage or personal items, have been found,” she told reporters at Wisma Putra here today.

Punitha was among family members who came to the foreign ministry’s headquarters, Wisma Putra, here to get an update on the latest development concerning the missing Malaysians.

She said Suguna’s parents – Punitha’s elder sister and brother-in-law – were still traumatised by the loss of their daughter and struggling to come to terms with what had happened.

Another next of kin, M Subramaniam, 38, the son-in-law of V Krishnan, 74, said the family still hoped those missing might have survived or were in locations yet to be identified.

“Today is the 33rd day. All the families are desperate for answers, and we still do not know whether they are alive or not. We are still holding out hope that there will be news that they are safe or perhaps stranded at some camp,” he said.

He added that among the main issues the families wanted clarified was the progress of the search on both sides of the Nepal-China border, as well as updates from the relevant authorities.

Subramanian said the families also wanted to know whether the group of Malaysians had managed to cross the Tibet immigration checkpoint before the disaster struck.

He claimed his father-in-law and 26 others were last known to be inside a building, and that the information on the location had been conveyed to Wisma Putra.

Today’s closed-door meeting was the second engagement between the foreign ministry and the families following the disaster on Aug 26.

The Aug 26 floods and debris flow, triggered by an ice and rock collapse in the upper catchment of Lhende Khola in Tibet, reportedly killed more than 1,450 people, while thousands more remain unaccounted for.

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