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PETALING JAYA: Malaysia is ready to provide assistance to Indonesia, particularly in search and rescue activities, should there be any such request, following the tsunami that hit the coasts around its Sunda Strait on Saturday night.
The National Disaster Management Agency (Nadma) said the country, through the National Disaster Command Centre (NDCC) and Special Malaysia Disaster Assistance and Rescue Team (SMART), has been continuously monitoring the situation in the republic.
However, it noted that according to Wisma Putra, Indonesia has yet to open its doors to accepting any international aid as it feels its local response and assistance was sufficient at the moment.
“The effect of the tsunami can still be handled and managed by Indonesia’s National Agency for Disaster Management (BNPB) and the National Search And Rescue Agency Republic of Indonesia (Basarnas).
“According to the Malaysian embassy in Jakarta, the scale of the tsunami this time is smaller that the disaster in Lombok and Palu recently.
“The embassy will discuss with Indonesia’s Foreign Ministry on the form of assistance that Malaysia can provide,” it said in a statement today, adding that there are no reports of any Malaysians victims so far.
The tsunami has killed 222 people, injured 843 people and 28 are still missing, according to Indonesian authorities, with hundreds of buildings also destroyed.
The wave was triggered by an eruption from a volcano known as the “child” of Krakatoa.
