Kota Kinabalu: The Sabah Government will assist in covering additional costs to bring back the remains of Mount Everest climber, Awang Askandar Ampuan Yaacub, to his hometown in Papar.
Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Datuk Armizan Mohd Ali said in his capacity of Papar MP, he had discussed and informed the latest developments pertaining to Awang Askandar’s remains with Chief Minister Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor.
“The Chief Minister gave his commitment that the State Government will help bear the additional costs needed outside of insurance coverage for funeral matters to ensure that Awang Askandar can be buried in his village in Papar, in accordance with his family’s wishes,” he added.
Awang Askandar died while scaling the mountain on May 19.
Armizan said the body of Awang Askandar, who was Kedah Civil Defence Force director, was still in the process of being brought down from the Mount Everest base camp to Kathmandu, Nepal.
He said this process was expected to commence on May 23 if the weather permitted.
He was informed of this latest update during a video call with Datuk Mohammad Ali Selamat, secretary of the Foreign Affairs consular division, and Mohd Fazle Abu Hasan, Counsellor and Charge d` Affaires of the Malaysian Embassy in Kathmandu.
“Hajiji also said that the Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS) coalition has collected donations for the family to handle matters relating to Awang Askandar’s burial,” said Armizan.
He said anyone who wishes to make contributions to the family can do so via Yayasan Kebajikan Sabah (YKS).
