A drone view shows houses covered in mud after the flash floods and mudslide, at Devighat, Nuwakot district, Nepal, August 29, 2026. (Photo: Reuters/Francis Mascarenhas)

Malaysia to give US$2,400 in aid to families of 54 citizens missing in Nepal-Tibet floods

The financial assistance will be distributed through the National Disaster Management Agency (NADMA), following a decision by Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim at a Cabinet meeting on Friday (Nov 6).

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KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia will provide a one-off payment of RM10,000 (US$2,460) to each of the families of 54 Malaysians who remain missing after devastating floods struck the Nepal-Tibet border region in August.

The assistance was approved by Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim during a Cabinet meeting on Friday (Nov 6) and will be distributed through the National Disaster Management Agency (NADMA), local media reported.

Human Resources Minister R Ramanan said the decision followed extensive discussions within the government.

The payments will be distributed according to NADMA's order of priority for next of kin, with spouses given first priority, followed by parents and children, he said.

Ramanan announced the assistance after visiting a Deepavali carnival at the Bukit Jalil National Stadium in Kuala Lumpur on Friday.

He said he had instructed the director-general of the Malaysian Indian Community Transformation Unit, K Raveendran Nair, to obtain further details from the Finance Ministry and contact the affected families.

The floods struck the Nepal-Tibet border region on Aug 26 after a collapse of glacial ice and rock triggered torrents of mud, water and debris through Himalayan valleys.

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CCTV footage shows people running away as a wall of mud and water destroys buildings in a valley at the Nepal-China border, in Gyirong, Tibet region, China, on August 26, 2026; this screengrab was obtained from social media video. (Photo: SOCIAL MEDIA/via REUTERS)

The disaster swept away buildings and vehicles, destroyed roads and bridges, and severely disrupted communications and transport links, hampering rescue efforts.

Among those caught in the disaster were tourists and pilgrims travelling to Mount Kailash in Tibet, a sacred site for Hindus and Buddhists.

Malaysia initially reported 55 of its citizens as uncontactable. One of them returned home safely on Oct 1, leaving 54 still unaccounted for.

The Malaysian government has continued efforts to locate its missing citizens, even after Nepal ended search-and-rescue operations and shifted to recovery efforts.

The disaster has reportedly killed at least 1,451 people. Around 5,700 others, including more than 600 foreign nationals, remain missing, according to data from the Nepal government.

Source: CNA/cf

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