PUBLISHED ONAugust 27, 2026 12:35 PMUPDATEDAugust 27, 2026 12:53 PMBYSean LerAbout 55 Malaysians are presently unaccounted for following deadly floods that struck near the Nepal-China border on Aug 26, said Malaysia Foreign Minister Mohamad Hasan.
Speaking with Malaysia news agency Bernama on Thursday (Aug 27), he said the information was provided by travel agencies, and is being cross-checked by the Embassy of Malaysia in Kathmandu.
Mohamad told Bernama that efforts to contact the 55 individuals have received no response, adding that efforts by Nepalese authorities to locate them have become difficult due to damaged access routes, roads and bridges.
He added that embassy personnel from Dhaka in Bangladesh are being deployed to Kathmandu to assist the embassy there in handling the situation, including the welfare of Malaysians and coordination with local authorities.
Asked about the possibility of Malaysia deploying rescue teams and other forms of assistance, Mohamad said the National Security Council would decide on the matter.
Malaysian media outlet FMT reported that the 55 missing includes two fire and rescue department (JBPM) officers and 17 pilgrims travelling to Tibet.
JBPM director-general Nor Hisham Mohamad has since confirmed that two of its firefighters were among a group of 10 Malaysians who were travelling to the Everest base camp.
In an earlier update issued by the Nepal Tourism Board on Thursday, the agency said that 644 travellers, including 127 Nepali nationals, were reported as missing.
Providing a breakdown, 51 Malaysians were listed as still missing, alongside nine Singaporeans.
Apart from Malaysia, there were also a significant number of missing travellers from Australia (35), India (178), Nepal (127), Ukraine (53), United Kingdom (33) and the US (65).
@asiaone The massive flash flood destroyed buildings and engulfed entire villages as rescue teams continue searching for survivors. #news #Nepal #Tibet #Flood #Disaster #Rescue ♬ original sound - AsiaOne
More than 270 people have been killed and about 1,500 are still unaccounted for as search efforts continue.
The flood is said to have been possibly triggered by a glacier collapse, experts say.
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