Five people killed in 'Flying Doctor' helicopter crash in Malaysia, authorities say

KUALA LUMPUR: Five people, including medical staff, died after a “flying doctor” service helicopter crashed in Malaysia on Tuesday, authorities and state news agency reports said, as haze from wildfires complicated search efforts.

Health Minister Dzulkefly Ahmad in a statement said initial information showed a pilot and four ministry staff were aboard the chopper that crashed near Sarawak state’s Long Lellang short take-off and landing airport.

Among them were a medical officer, an assistant medical officer, and two nurses on official duty, he said.

A disaster management committee official in Miri, Sarawak confirmed to state news agency Bernama that all five aboard died in the crash.

A “flying doctor” service typically uses aircraft to provide medical care, emergency transport and clinical services to rural or isolated regions. Search operations on Tuesday had been complicated by hazy conditions, with rescuers barred from using air services, Sarawak police commissioner Mohamad Zainal Abdullah said in a statement. The crash site was in a remote area that required a 10-hour journey by road, he added.

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The civil aviation authority said the transport ministry’s air accident investigations bureau was investigating the incident.

Sarawak, on Borneo island, has been hard-hit by haze arising from forest fires in neighbouring Indonesia, with many areas recording unhealthy air quality levels, government data showed on Wednesday.

Malaysia declared an emergency last week in Sarawak’s Serian district after air pollution rose to hazardous levels, though the declaration was later lifted following improvements in air quality.