Helicopter crash near Long Lellang kills pilot and four medical staff

A BO-105 helicopter operating the Flying Doctor Service went down near Long Lellang airfield on Tuesday, resulting in the deaths of pilot Captain Zainol Afiq Bee Sham, 30, and four medical personnel: Dr Ainul Baraah Kamaruddin, 33; medical assistant Alexson Adit Henry, 31; and nurses Debra Moset, 40, and Jessie Paya Jok, 44. Sarawak police commissioner Zainal Abdullah said no evidence yet suggests the incident was anything other than an accident.

Statements from 19 witnesses have been collected, with more potentially called in. Investigators will examine the entire flight path from take-off in Miri to the crash site, reviewing flight records and possible emergency communications. The technical investigation has been handed to the Air Accident Investigation Bureau.