KUCHING: All five victims have been recovered from the wreckage of a Flying Doctor Service (FDS) helicopter that crashed in Long Lellang, says Sarawak police commissioner Comm Datuk Mohamad Zainal Abdullah.
He said the remains were found during search and recovery operations yesterday.
“The victims were identified based on their personal belongings. However, formal identification will be done through DNA testing,” he said in a statement.
The victims were pilot Capt Zainol Afiq Bee Sham, 30, Dr Ainul Baraah Kamaruddin, 33, assistant medical officer Alexson Adit Henry, 31, and staff nurses Debra Moset, 40, and Jessie Paya Jok, 44.
Comm Mohamad Zainal said the remains would be flown to Hospital Miri for further analysis that includes DNA matching, and added that investigations at the crash site included a forensics team from the Sarawak police headquarters, along with members of the Fire and Rescue Department’s Storm team from the Miri zone.
A total of 67 personnel from various agencies were involved in recovery operations.
Comm Mohamad Zainal said the helicopter took off from Miri at 10.21am on Tuesday and landed at Ba Lai at 11.39am on a FDS mission. It then took off for Long Siut at 1.41pm and arrived at 1.50pm to refuel.
At around 3.21pm, the helicopter reportedly encountered difficulty while approaching the Long Lellang STOLport before crashing at the end of the airstrip.
“The FDS personnel were meant to stay overnight at Long Lellang before flying to Tanjong Durian on Wednesday to continue their duties,” Comm Mohamad Zainal said.
He said the German-made BO-105 S helicopter was built in 1991 and had been used to transport Health Ministry personnel in Sarawak since 2009.
“Throughout this period, the helicopter carried out operations to support healthcare needs in Sarawak, particularly in Miri, Bintulu, Limbang, Marudi and Bario,” he said.
