Why was response to Kudat crash slow?

The lengthy delay in airlifting the critically injured to the main Queen Elizabeth II Hospital has exposed alarming deficiencies in the state's rescue services.

KOTA KINABALU: The MASWings plane crash in Kudat last week has revealed some distressing facts.

Victims of the air crash were in urgent need of swift and expert medical attention at better facilities than is available in Kudat but did not receive it for several hours due to confusion.

The DHC-6 Twin Otter 9M-MDM carrying 16 people ploughed into a house in Kampung Sin-San last Thursday while coming in to land at the Kudat Airport.

The lengthy delay in airlifting the critically injured to the main Queen Elizabeth II Hospital about 150km away has exposed alarming deficiencies in the readiness of rescue services to cope with such emergencies.

Api Api assemblywoman Christina Liew highlighted the delay and wants the authorities to explain the slow transportation of the victims to the better equipped hospital in the city.

“As it turned out, there was a long delay of five hours before the victim was finally airlifted to the Sabah Air Aviation base here at 8.15pm when the incident happened at 2.50pm.

“Even if the victim’s condition needed to be stabilised because of the bleeding as suggested by the director, it does not make sense that this should take five hours.

“It would have been more logical to bring him in as quickly as possible by helicopter which should take only about half hour or so,” she said.

Co-pilot Marc Joel Bansh, 23, succumbed to his injuries shortly after being airlifted to the Queen Elizabeth II Hospital nearly five hours after the crash.

Liew said it was a mystery why the police or army helicopters were not used since the Health Department had confirmed that the helicopters operated by Sabah Air were unfit for night duty.

“Someone should be held accountable. There should be no cover-up. The truth must be told,” she said when extending her condolences to the families of the crash victims.

Slow response

Liew also expressed surprise at State Health Director Dr Christina Rundi’s statement  that Sabah Air helicopters are not equipped to respond to night emergencies.

Rundi had said that the Sabah Air helicopters were unsuitable for night duty and thus they were not used in transporting seriously injured victim.

“If so, are they (Sabah Air helicopters) only good for carrying vegetables and VIPs during the day?” asked Liew.

In the 2.50pm crash, elderly passenger Tan Ah Chai was the first to succumb to his injuries at the Kudat District Hospital a short time after the plane crashed into the garage of a house on its approach to land at the small Kudat airport.

“There were 14 passengers and two crew members. Marc passed away at the QEH at around 9pm barely half an hour after being airlifted here.

“I note that there has been no response by Sabah Air on why one of its helicopters even returned from the Twin Otter tragedy site empty,” Liew said.

“We are told that two helicopters were actually dispatched but one returned empty. Even if Marc’s condition was still not stabilised by then, it should have at least brought in the other three victims instead of sending them by road.

“That’s money gone to waste and Sabah Air owes the tax payers an explanation,” she said adding that Dr Rundi had also said that the question should be directed at Sabah Air.