KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 12 — The Special Malaysia Disaster Assistance and Rescue Team (Smart), which participated in the Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief mission in Nepal, is expected to return home today or tomorrow, said Foreign Minister Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan.

He stated that all equipment belonging to the team, such as drones, has been handed over to rescue teams in Nepal for use in search operations for flood victims in the country.

“Nepalese authorities do not intend (at this time) to announce the termination of search and rescue (SAR) operations, as there are still 5,000 people unaccounted for.

“The Smart team leader will provide a report and assess the next steps so that we do not make hasty decisions; if they (Nepal) require assistance from Malaysia, we can consider helping with the search or rescue operations,” he said.

Mohamad told reporters while visiting the Media Centre at the 2026 Umno General Assembly here today.

The Smart MAS01 team, participating in the Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief mission to Nepal, arrived in the country via Tribhuvan International Airport, Kathmandu, on September 5.

The team, comprising 11 personnel and officers, departed for Nepal on a Royal Malaysian Air Force A400M aircraft from the RMAF Subang Air Base, carrying 12.4 tonnes of SAR equipment.

Meanwhile, Mohamad stated that the Malaysian Embassy in Kathmandu is in constant contact with the Nepalese government to obtain the latest information regarding the status of Malaysians reported missing in the tragedy.

He said this is to enable next-of-kin to handle matters such as insurance claims and other related issues.

“In Nepal, for anyone reported missing or unaccounted for, a death certificate can be issued after three years, whereas in Malaysia, it takes seven years.

“That is why we have asked the (Malaysian) embassy there to liaise with the (Nepalese) ministry to determine how next-of-kin can obtain documents confirming the status of the Malaysians who remain missing,” he said. — Bernama