Body of deputy minister found after Sarawak helicopter crash

SEBUYAU (Malaysia) — Search teams on Friday (May 6) recovered the body of a Malaysian deputy minister in the Borneo island state of Sarawak near where a helicopter carrying her and five others is believed to have crashed, said officials. The search was expected to continue through today’s state elections in Sarawak.

The Eurocopter AS350 had been ferrying Plantation Industries and Commodities deputy minister Noriah Kasnon and her husband, Asmuni Abdullah, from Sarawak’s interior town of Betong to its capital Kuching when it went missing on Thursday.

Parliament member Wan Mohammad Khair-il Anuar Wan Ahmad, two other government officials and a Filipino pilot were also on board.

Community Development Minister Rohani Abdul Karim confirmed in a Facebook post that the woman’s body was Noriah’s. “Now, I’m at the Sarawak police headquarters to receive the body of ... Noriah, who is the first victim of the helicopter crash,” she wrote.

Prime Minister Najib Razak and wife Rosmah Mansor paid their last respects to Noriah at the Sarawak General Hospital, where her body was moved for identification and post-mortem.

Mr Nor Hisham Mohammad, director of the Sarawak Fire and Rescue Department, told AFP the body was found near the banks of a river.

He said divers had begun searching for wreckage in the river which, like many in rugged, jungled Sarawak, is prowled by massive crocodiles.

Search teams also recovered on Friday a rotor blade, a flotation device, and other debris.

Noriah was in Betong on ministerial duties. Much of the country’s political attention in recent weeks has been focused on election campaigning in Sarawak.

Transport Minister Liow Tiong Lai said the flight path used by the helicopter was considered “very safe” because it has a flat topography. But he said weather conditions had been poor.

The local fire and rescue department was narrowing its search on Friday evening to a 4km radius of the Batang Lupar river mouth, where the body was retrieved.

“Our main aim is to locate all victims back and we would not end our search until all of them and the cockpit of the helicopter are found,” Mr Nor Hisham said.

“The search-and-rescue team is now focused within Kampung Sungai Merah to Lingga.”

Five boats and one helicopter were being used in the hunt.

“At present we are only conducting surface searching as water levels are rising and it is dangerous to dive now due to the water conditions,” he said.

The search for the missing helicopter started Thursday night and initially covered a radius of 100km with a focus on three areas  — Sebuyau, Lingga and Meludam.

Mr Nor Hisham rubbished rumours circulating on the Internet that more bodies had been discovered.

Crashes of small aircraft and helicopters are not uncommon in Malaysia.

In April 2015, Parliament member Jamaluddin Jarjis, a close aide to Mr Najib, perished in a helicopter crash along with five others not far from the capital Kuala Lumpur. AGENCIES