Last phone pings of 54 missing Malaysians traced to Nepal glacial flood site, foreign minister tells Parliament
The Malaysian government has confirmed that the last mobile signals from 54 missing citizens were traced to a glacial flood site in Nepal. Nepal has agreed to expedite the issuance of death certificates to 45 days to assist the families of the victims.
Why it matters
This highlights the administrative challenges faced by families during international natural disasters and the diplomatic efforts required to resolve legal status for missing persons.
KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 22 — The last signals emitted from the mobile phones of the missing Malaysians in Nepal were traced directly to the location hit by a “glacial tsunami”, Foreign Minister Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan told the Dewan Rakyat.
Fifty-four Malaysians are among the more than 5,500 people still unaccounted for after a major glacial collapse caused a massive flash flood that buried settlements in the country’s northern mountainous region bordering Tibet, killing between 1,300 to 1,400 people.
“Where the tsunami (flash floods) path occurred, and the last pings we received, they were all at that location,” Mohamad said during Question Time.
Get smarter about the news
Sign up free for a feed built around what you actually care about, Dive Deeper research on any story, and the full text of every article.
Create free accountAlready have an account? Sign in