PUTRAJAYA, Oct 26 — Malaysia’s third offer to assist Nepal in its search and rescue (SAR) operations for mud flood victims was accepted after two earlier offers were turned down, paving the way for the deployment of the Special Malaysia Disaster Assistance and Rescue Team (SMART), equipped with technical expertise and advanced detection equipment.
SMART commander Senior Fire Superintendent 1 Abdul Manaf Che Isa, who led the mission, said Malaysia initially offered to send 50 rescuers, followed by a second offer of 25 personnel with SAR equipment, but Nepal declined both offers because it already had sufficient rescue teams.
He said Nepal’s government eventually accepted Malaysia’s third offer, which involved deploying just 11 SMART personnel, nine high-capacity drones and specialised detection equipment, after several rounds of discussions.
