Selangor Journal
The late Malaysia Everest 2023 (ME2023) climber and Kedah Civil Defence Force (APM) director Lt Col Awang Askandar Ampuan Yaacub, died during his final ascent at 8,000m and was pronounced dead while being treated at Camp Four in Nepal, on May 19, 2023. — Picture by BERNAMA

Awang Askandar’s remains to arrive home by Saturday

KUALA LUMPUR, May 24 — The remains of Malaysia Everest 2023 (ME2023) climber Lt Col Awang Askandar Ampuan Yaacub, is expected to arrive home at the latest this Saturday (May 27).

Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Sabah, Sarawak Affairs and Special Functions) Datuk Armizan Mohd Ali said the body of the Kedah Civil Defence Force (APM) director was already brought to Base Camp Two at 9.30am (Nepal time) today and would be taken to the Everest Base Camp (EBC) in a helicopter.

“In order to fulfil the wishes of family members, Awang Askandar will be buried in his village in Papar, Sabah on the same day it arrives in Kota Kinabalu, which is expected to be either Friday or Saturday, at the latest,” he said at a press conference after launching a southwest monsoon operation at the International Islamic University Malaysia, earlier today.

Awang Askandar, 56, was reported to have fallen when making the final ascent at 8,000m and was pronounced dead while being treated at Camp Four.

Meanwhile, Armizan said the government would give full financial commitment for the search-and-rescue (SAR) mission for another ME 2023 participant, Muhammad Hawari Hashim, 33, who was reported missing.

“The SAR mission for Muhammad Hawari is still ongoing. The government will not stop trying, but the search costs are quite high, such as the use of helicopters and mountain ranger fees,” he said.

Muhammad Hawari, a disabled climber under ME 2023, is feared to have gone missing in the mountain range while descending from Camp 4 after conquering the world’s highest peak on Thursday.

Meanwhile, ME 2023 mission chief Azim Afif Ishak, when contacted, informed that Awang Askandar’s remains had arrived at EBC, and it is understood that the body will next be flown to a hospital in Kathmandu.

— Bernama

Malaysia Everest 2023 climber Muhammad Hawari Hashim, who is a person with a disability with hearing impairment, is feared to have gone missing while descending from Camp Four after reaching its peak on May 19, 2023. — Picture by BERNAMA

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