PETALING JAYA: The Deputy Plantation Industries and Commodities Minister's private secretary has confirmed that the body recovered near the Batang Lupar river in Sarawak is that of Datuk Noriah Kasnon.
The update came in a news flash from Bernama on its website on Friday night.
It had been reported earlier that the body of a female victim was recovered from the crash site of the AS350 helicopter at noon near Batang Lupar.
Noriah and her husband Asmuni Abdullah were on the helicopter with four others when it went missing en route from Betong to Kuching on Thursday.
The others on board the ill-fated craft were ministry secretary-general Datuk Dr Sundaran Annamalai, Kuala Kangsar MP and Malaysian Palm Oil Board chairman Datuk Wan Mohammad Khair-il Anuar Wan Ahmad and personal bodyguard Ahmad Sobri Harun, as well as the pilot, Captain Rudolf Rex Ragas.
Noriah was also Sungai Besar MP.
Air traffic controllers lost contact with the helicopter at 4.32pm after it took off from Betong at 4.12pm.
