Eleven officers and personnel from Malaysia’s Special Malaysia Disaster Assistance and Rescue Team (SMART) departed for Nepal on Saturday to assist search and rescue (SAR) operations following floods and landslides in the country.
The team left Subang Air Base at about 9am aboard a Royal Malaysian Air Force (RMAF) A400M aircraft.
SMART commander Senior Fire Officer 1 Abdul Manaf Che Isa, who is leading the humanitarian mission, said the team would assist SAR operations in areas affected by the disasters.
The team is also carrying a range of operational equipment, including communications gear, to support the rescue efforts.
The flight to Nepal is expected to take about five hours.
The mission is being coordinated with the National Disaster Management Agency (NADMA) as part of Malaysia’s efforts to support Nepal in responding to the disaster and rescuing affected victims.
