Police confirm identities of five victims in Sarawak FDS helicopter crash, with remains sent to Miri Hospital for post-mortem and formal identification
MIRI: Police have confirmed the identities of all five victims of the Air Doctor Service (FDS) helicopter crash at Long Lellang yesterday, with their remains taken to Miri Hospital for post-mortem examinations and formal identification.
The victims were pilot Captain Zainol Afiq Bee Sham, 30; medical officer Dr Ainul Baraah Kamaruddin, 33; medical assistant Alexson Adit Henry, 31; and nurses Debra Moset, 40, and Jessie Paya Jok, 44.
Sarawak Police Commissioner Datuk Mohamad Zainal Abdullah said the victims were identified through personal belongings found with the remains, pieces of clothing and their seating positions inside the helicopter.
“Formal identification will be carried out at the hospital and DNA samples from the families have been taken,” he told a media conference on the incident at Miri Airport today.
He said the families of all five victims have been informed of the latest developments following the tragedy.
Mohamad Zainal said preliminary investigations found that several witnesses had seen smoke and flames coming from the helicopter before it crashed.
Villagers also helped extinguish the fire using fire extinguishers available at the airport, but the victims were believed to have been unable to escape.
“Based on the position of the helicopter, the pilot was believed to have been trying to land it safely because it was right at the end of the runway. Perhaps when it landed, it immediately caught fire and they did not have time to escape,” he said.
He said the helicopter was not equipped with a cockpit voice recorder or black box, while police had so far found no information indicating that the pilot had made an emergency call before the crash.
The 1991-built helicopter last underwent maintenance on Aug 24 and was cleared for another 100 flight hours following the maintenance, he said.
Police have opened a sudden death report, while the investigation into the actual cause of the crash is being conducted by the Air Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB).
