Malaysian Sikh aid team reaches remote Nepal base after 16-hour journey

A five-member team from United Sikhs Malaysia has successfully reached Dhunche in Nepal's Rasuwa district, situated near the Nepal-Tibet border, after a grueling 16-hour journey. The team is set to establish a base camp for a humanitarian mission, as confirmed by a Facebook update. They arrived at 11.14pm local time, which translates to roughly 1.30am Malaysian time, having departed from Kathmandu earlier that day.

Navigating through challenging terrain, the team faced pitch-black roads without lampposts, and encountered difficulties near a roadside bridge where they momentarily became stuck. A volunteer shared in a video, "We have been travelling from 7am and now we have been travelling for approximately 16 hours."

The team's journey commenced with a meeting yesterday with Smart team and Wisma Putra officials in Kathmandu to coordinate flood relief efforts. After unloading relief supplies at Dhunche, the team is prepared to venture off-road to Syapru Besi, located approximately 40km from the Nepal-Tibet border. They are expected to remain at the location for two weeks, focusing on reaching underserved and hard-to-access areas.

It is anticipated that the team will provide essential supplies and temporary shelter materials to around 300 affected families.

Today, Nepal observed a national day of mourning, 13 days following the Rasuwa flash floods that claimed over 1,355 lives. Currently, 17 Malaysians remain uncontactable in Rasuwa, while 5,500 people continue to be missing.