KUCHING: State Fire and Rescue Department director Nor Hisham Mohammad has denied rumours of a safe emergency landing by the missing helicopter.
"We can't go as far saying it's missing. It's classified as untraceable," Hisham told The Star at the department's headquarters on Thursday.
"The Fire and Rescue Department is definitely not sending out text messages of a safe emergency landing," he added.
Hisham said last contact from the helicopter was near Spaoh.
Rescuers are tentatively moving to three search areas, Maludam, Sebuyau and Lingga, which is between Betong, Samarahan and Sri Aman respectively.
Six individuals including Deputy Plantation Industries and Commodities Minister Datuk Noriah Kasnon, her husband Asmuni Abdullah, and Kuala Kangsar MP Datuk Wan Mohammad Khair-il Anuar Wan Ahmad were believed to have been on the helicopter which went missing earlier in the evening.
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