Five people were killed when a helicopter crashed at a remote airfield in inland Sarawak on the northwest coast of the island of Borneo, reports AFP.
The BO-105 helicopter, operated by the country’s Flying Doctor Service, went down on Tuesday afternoon about 315 kilometres (195 miles) southeast of the city of Miri.
“All five on board are deceased as confirmed by reports from the Fire and Rescue Department (Bomba) and the Ministry of Health,” Galong Luang, Miri’s disaster management chairman, said in a statement. The pilot, a doctor, a medical assistant and two nurses were among those killed.
Footage of the crash circulating on social media showed the helicopter emitting smoke shortly before it went down. Malaysia’s Flying Doctor Service assists indigenous communities that rely heavily on air transport because of the country’s dense jungles and difficult interior terrain. Teams typically comprising a medical officer, assistant medical officer, nurses and other health staff travel by helicopter or small aircraft on scheduled rotations to villages and longhouses in remote regions.
