'Dr Ainul' confirmed as among deceased in Sarawak heli crash

 

Dr Ainul, seated in the center at the rear, was confirmed to have perished in the crash. - Pic credit Facebook/Alexon Adit

KUALA LUMPUR: The identity of one of the passengers of the B0-105 helicopter which crashed near the Long Lellang airstrip today has been identified.

Medical Officer Dr Ainul Baroah Kamaruddin, from Kelantan, was among those onboard the aircraft.

It is learnt that her family was told that she had died in the crash.

She was among five people, including the pilot, on the flight.

The fate of the rest remain unknown for now.

A picture of Dr Ainul, seated in a helicopter with others believed to be Health Ministry personnel, was widely circulated today following the crash.

It has since been established that the picture (posted on March 10) was from a Facebook account belonging to Alexson Adit, an assistant medical officer with the ministry.

In the same picture, Alexson, in green, is seated in front next to the pilot,

He is also believed to be among those on board but his status remains unknown at the moment.

Sarawak Police Commissioner Datuk Mohamad Zainal Abdullah said the SAR team was rushing to the site from the Marudi district police headquarters, a journey which normally takes 10 hours by road.

He said police would also use air services to reach the location, subject to approval by the Civil Aviation Authority of Malaysia (CAAM).

If allowed to do so, the team would depart from the Kuching Airbase.

Approval for the journey is needed due to hazy conditions.

CAAM, in a statement earlier, confirmed the incident involving a helicopter bearing the registration number 9M-LLF. The helicopter was carrying five people, including the pilot and was operating the Flying Doctors Service flight.

The B)-105 helicopter is a light, twin-engine helicopter manufactured in Germany and known for its use in a wide range of civilian and military roles.

It is widely associated with air rescue operations worldwide. - NST