{
  "id": 5341673,
  "title": "Missing Malaysians: Families hope Smart team can join Nepal SAR",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/03/missing-malaysians-families-hope-smart-team-can-join-nepal-sar",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-09-03T13:58:42.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "New Straits Times",
    "slug": "new-straits-times",
    "url": "https://www.nst.com.my/news/nation/2026/09/1525228/missing-malaysians-families-hope-smart-team-can-join-nepal-sar"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Families of Malaysians missing after landslides and floods in Nepal are hopeful that the Malaysian Special Disaster Assistance and Rescue Team (Smart) will be permitted to join search and rescue operations. Malaysia Solidarity: Families in Hope (Masfih) spokesman Dr R. Manivannan stated that Smart possesses the necessary skills and expertise to aid in the SAR efforts and evaluate further aid requirements in the impacted regions. He expressed confidence that if Smart has requested assistance from India, China, and South Korea, they would have similar capabilities. Manivannan also questioned the efficiency of deploying the team if it could only reach the affected areas over a week after the disaster. He argued that Smart should have been deployed earlier to utilize its expertise during the critical stages of the SAR operation. Manivannan emphasized that the presence of Malaysian personnel in Nepal would be crucial for obtaining the most recent information directly from those on the ground, ensuring the accuracy of the information gathered. A total of 77 Malaysians who survived the flash floods in Tibet and Nepal have been taken to Kathmandu for repatriation to Malaysia, while 55 Malaysians remain unaccounted for. Severe flash floods struck Nepal's Rasuwa and Nuwakot districts on August 26, allegedly caused by a glacial collapse.",
  "summary": "KUALA LUMPUR: Families of Malaysians unaccounted for following landslides and floods along the Nepal-Tibet border are hoping the Special Malaysia Disaster Assistance and Rescue Team (Smart) will be allowed to join search and rescue (SAR) operations.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 2,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "Free Malaysia Today",
        "title": "Nepal agrees to accept Malaysia’s SMART team",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/03/nepal-agrees-to-accept-malaysias-smart-team",
        "published": "2026-09-03T10:59:00.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}