Rescuers Find All Seven Passengers Of Ill-Fated Chopper Dead
By George Francis

Miri - All the seven passengers on board the ill-fated Bell 206 Long Range helicopter that crashed on July 12 in Bario highlands were confirmed dead as two more bodies were found yesterday.

The remains of five passengers arrived by Nuri helicopter at Miri hospital at 7.20 pm last evening. The remains of the other two are likely to arrive today, Director of Search and Rescue Operations, Tan Sri Dr George Chan, said.

All the bodies will undergo postmortem and forensic tests and later identification process as they are reportedly in an advance stage of decomposition.

The ill-fated helicopter belonging to Hornbill Skyways, piloted by Captain Samsuddin Hashim, crashed into the thick forests of Sarawak highlands some 10 minutes after it took off from Bario to Ba'Kelalan.

It was carrying six officials, including Sarawak Assistant Minister Dr Judson Sakai Tagal, and Sarawak Electricity Supply Corp. Chief Executive Roger Wong Hwa Puang.

Others on board included Padawan Municipal Chairman Lawrence Th'ng, Contractor Datuk Marcus Raja, SESCO Miri Regional Manager Ling Tian Ho and SESCO Engineer from Kuching Jason Ng.

Dr Chan said the rescue team comprising 28 personnel was all winched down yesterday at the crash scene to reinforce Police VAT 69 commandos, who were winched down Wednesday evening to conduct the search and rescue operation. The helicopter, still intact, was spotted upside down in a tangle of jungle foliage by a Hornbill reconnaissance helicopter Tuesday evening.

The Department of Civil Aviation will be heading an investigation into the crash.

The massive SAR operations involving US, Australia, Indonesia and Brunei was the most expensive in the history of Malaysian aviation. -- Courtesy of Borneo Bulletin

Click Here To Have Your Say On This Story

Brudirect.com News