Foul smell of dead bodies, risk of falling from cliff don't deter Malaysian volunteers

The foul smell of dead bodies and the risk of their vehicle falling from a steep mountain cliff, were some of the unforgettable experiences of a group of Malaysian volunteers providing assistance to victims of the devastating earthquake in Nepal recently.

R. Subramaniam, 46, one of the volunteers on the humanitarian aid mission, said he had to go through a narrow passage in a mountainous area to get to Sisakani village in Dhulikel district, located about 75km from Kathmandu, the capital city.

"If there were tremors while we were travelling in a four-wheel-drive vehicle in the mountainous area, we feared that we could fall some 13,000 ft down the cliff," he told Bernama of his anxious moments during the mission.

The father-of-three was among nine Malaysian volunteers from Johor who were on the humanitarian mission in Nepal from May 6 to 9.

Subramaniam said on arrival at the targeted location, more than 600 earthquake victims from a number of villages in the area had gathered there to obtain food supply and medical assistance.

Another volunteer, R. Shashithran, 39, said he could only pray to God for their safety and this thoughts were also always with his family.

He said after the earthquake, not everyone was willing to sacrifice his or her life to travel those dangerous roads, but their team was determined to go through the challenge to ensure that aid reached the victims.

Shashithran said he could not forget the smell of dead bodies trapped in the rubble of collapsed buildings throughout the group's journey to the village.

"Besides travelling the mountainous road, we also had to cross the river to reach our destination," he further recalled.

He said the harrowing experience and life-threatening risks that he faced, however, would not deter him to return for the second humanitarian mission in July.

Datuk R. Muthusamy, one of the individuals behind the group's mission, said for the recent one, RM350,000 in funds was collected to purchase foodstuff, clothes, tents and medicines.

"The fund for the second mission in mid-July stands at RM200,000," said Muthusamy, a director of a local company.

In the second mission, 11 volunteers including two medical specialists, one of whom is a neurologist, will be visiting seven villages in the same district.

"We will set up a mobile clinic to treat the earthquake victims. We had promised the villagers that we would come back to provide medical assistance to them," he said.