Polis sahkan identiti 5 mangsa nahas helikopter di Sarawak

Sarawak police have confirmed the identities of all five victims of a doctorate service helicopter crash in Long Lellang. Mohamad Zainal Abdullah, the Sarawak Police Deputy Commissioner, stated that the identities were determined through personal belongings, clothing damages, and seating positions in the helicopter. The bodies were taken to Miri Hospital for autopsy and DNA sampling.

He said all victims were in a critical condition as the fire continued to burn after the crash. No victim was found in a perfect condition. Forensic examination will be carried out at the hospital and family DNA samples have been taken. The five victims are pilot Zainol Afiq Bee Sham, 30, doctor Ainul Baraah Kamaruddin, 33, medical assistant Alexson Adit Henry, 31, and nurses Debra Moset, 40, and Jessie Paya Jok, 44.

All family members have been informed about the latest developments of the tragedy. On Sunday, the Malaysian Civil Aviation Authority (CAAM) announced that a BO-105 helicopter carrying five individuals, including the pilot, crashed near Long Lellang Short Take-Off and Landing Airport (STOLport). According to CAAM, they received information about the incident from the Civil Aviation Department at 3:58 pm, and the helicopter was on an FDS flight operation.

Zainal said initial investigations found witnesses saw smoke and fire from the helicopter before it crashed. He said villagers helped to extinguish the fire using the fire extinguishers available at the airport, but the victims were believed to have been unable to save themselves. "From the helicopter's position, I believe the pilot may have tried to land safely as it was at the end of the runway.

Perhaps when landing, it continued to burn and they were unable to save themselves," he said. Zainal said the helicopter did not have a cockpit recorder or black box, and at this stage, the police have not received any emergency calls from the pilot before the incident. Zainal said the 1991-built helicopter had its last maintenance on August 24, and was allowed to operate for 100 flight hours after the maintenance.

The police have opened a sudden death report (SDR), while the investigation to determine the actual cause of the crash is being handled by the Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB).