FDS still grounded amid reports of helicopter's emergency landing in Bintulu

 

A Flying Doctor Service (FDS) helicopter was suspected to have made a landing in an open area near the Sri Pertiwi housing estate in Kidurong, Bintulu, today. PIC SCREENGRAB FROM SOCIAL MEDIA

KUALA LUMPUR: The Flying Doctor Service (FDS) in Sarawak has yet to resume operations and is still undergoing further scrutiny and assessment before any decision is made on its reactivation.

The Health Ministry said any resumption of the service would have to take into account operational safety, the welfare of personnel and staff readiness.

"The Health Ministry emphasises that the FDS in Sarawak has yet to resume operations and is still undergoing further scrutiny and assessment before any decision is made on its reactivation.

"Any resumption of the service must take into account operational safety, the welfare of personnel and staff readiness," it said when contacted.

This comes after a helicopter was seen making an emergency landing in Bintulu today following a minor technical problem while travelling from Sibu to Miri, according to a report by Borneo Post.

Bintulu police chief Superintendent Nixon Joshua Ali said the helicopter was heading to Miri to take part in an exhibition programme when the incident occurred around 3.20pm.

"The helicopter made an emergency landing due to a minor technical problem. There were no Health Ministry passengers, only the pilot and two crew members," he told the regional paper.

The incident went viral after a 51-second video showing the helicopter landing in an open area near the housing estate circulated on social media.

The video, uploaded to the Bintulu News Page 2 Facebook page, showed the helicopter on an open field next to the housing estate.

The FDS suspension followed a helicopter crash in Long Lellang, Ulu Baram, on Sept 8, which killed all five people on board.

The BO-105 helicopter, bearing registration number 9M-LLF, crashed near the Long Lellang Short Take-Off and Landing (STOL) port around 3.40pm while carrying a pilot and four Health Ministry personnel.

The victims were pilot Captain Zainol Afiq Bee Sham, 30; medical officer Dr Ainul Baraah Kamaruddin, 33; assistant medical officer Alexson Adit Henry, 31; and nurses Debra Moset, 40, and Jessie Paya Jok, 44.

Following the tragedy, the Health Ministry suspended all FDS operations in Sarawak to allow investigations and a reassessment of the service's safety aspects and operational mechanisms.

It is understood that the helicopter's operator would be issuing a statement. - NST