Malaysia’s SMART team returns safely after Nepal disaster mission, with all 11 members in good health following search and rescue operations
KUALA LUMPUR: The Special Malaysia Disaster Assistance and Rescue Team (SMART), which participated in the Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR) mission in Nepal, arrived safely in the country at 2 am today.
SMART commander Senior Fire Superintendent I (PgKB 1) Abdul Manaf Che Isa said the team departed from Kathmandu at 3 pm yesterday (local time) aboard a Royal Malaysian Air Force (RMAF) A400M aircraft, making a brief stopover in Kolkata, India, for refueling.
“Upon arrival at RMAF Subang Air Base, we underwent health screenings conducted by Ministry of Health officials, and all 11 members involved in the mission were confirmed to be in good health,” he told Bernama here today.
Earlier, Foreign Minister Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan had announced that the team was scheduled to return on Saturday or Sunday.
He stated that equipment belonging to the team, such as drones, had been handed over to rescue teams in Nepal for use in search operations for victims of flash floods and landslides in the country.
The SMART MAS01 team participating in the HADR mission arrived in the country via Tribhuvan International Airport, Kathmandu, on Sept 5, bringing with them 12.4 tonnes of search and rescue (SAR) equipment.
