KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 7 — A helicopter search for 17 Malaysians who have been missing nearly two weeks since flash floods hit Nepal’s Rasuwa district has found no trace of the group, their belongings or the six vehicles they were travelling in.
Fishtail Tours & Travels representative Roshan Panday said the helicopter made four passes over the area where the vehicles were swept away but found nothing, The New Straits Times reported today.
“It seems the current was at maximum power when it reached that particular spot,” he told the newspaper.
Roshan said several houses had stood near the site, but the force of the floodwaters had left no visible remains of the buildings.
The search team also checked a nearby forest, although it appeared unlikely that the group had managed to reach the area, he said.
The helicopter then flew at low altitude along a 30km stretch downstream from the site but found nothing believed to belong to the missing group.
Meanwhile, the agency split its office team into three groups to search hospitals for any injured members of the group, but none had been found.
The team also checked bodies recovered from the disaster, but none had so far been positively identified as members of the group.
“Search is still on,” Roshan was quoted as saying.
The group was travelling in six vehicles carrying 27 tourists, including 17 Malaysians, two Americans and a Briton.
They were accompanied by seven Nepali crew members, including a doctor who volunteered to provide medical support to the 20 tourists travelling to high altitude.
Six drivers were also part of the convoy, bringing the total number of people involved to 33.
The 17 Malaysians have remained uncontactable since flash floods struck Rasuwa – among the worst hit areas – with search efforts continuing to locate them.
Roshan said on September 1 that the agency would deploy a private helicopter to search for the missing Malaysians.
