KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 8 — The  Special Malaysia Disaster Assistance and Rescue Team (SMART) arrived in Dhunche, Nepal, today to establish a forward base and begin aerial reconnaissance operations using drones in the disaster-stricken area.

According to a statement issued by the Home-Based Support Team (HBST) of MAS01 SMART, under the National Disaster Management Agency (NADMA), the 10-member team, led by Inspector Abdullah Ahmad Sobri, travelled to the location aboard an MI-17 helicopter.

It said the team departed from the Nepal Army Tactical Headquarters in Trishuli at 1 pm Malaysian time and arrived in Dhunche about 45 minutes later.

“Dhunche serves as the tactical forward base for managing disaster operations in the Rasuwa area, covering Timure, Syafrubesi, Dhunche and Mailung.

“Upon arrival, the SMART team established a forward base to serve as a staging area and temporary accommodation should operational conditions require it,” the statement said.

The statement said today’s operational planning focused on drone reconnaissance activities, which were divided into two groups covering four sectors between Syafrubesi and Timure.

However, the joint operation involving SMART personnel and the Nepalese Army faced challenges due to almost daily rainfall, which hampered drone flight operations in the field.

As a result, the SMART team is continuously evaluating the most suitable methods to ensure optimal aerial image data collection, which will subsequently be analysed to support further operational planning.

The MAS01 SMART team, deployed as part of the Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR) mission, arrived in Kathmandu last Saturday aboard a Royal Malaysian Air Force (RMAF) A400M aircraft.

The team also brought 12.4 tonnes of search and rescue (SAR) equipment, including high-capacity drones, communication systems and tunnel rescue equipment, to support operations in the flood-stricken country. — Bernama