A helicopter carrying a medical team crashed on Tuesday in Malaysia’s Sarawak state on Borneo island, killing all five people on board.
The aircraft belonged to the state’s "Flying Doctor" service, which provides health care to remote communities. Health Minister Dzulkefly Ahmad confirmed that the victims included the pilot, a medical officer, an assistant medical officer, and two nurses travelling on official duty. A disaster management official in Miri reported no survivors.
Search and rescue operations were severely delayed by dense haze from neighboring Indonesian forest fires, which forced authorities to ground aerial search teams. Ground crews had to undertake a grueling 10-hour overland journey to reach the crash site near the Long Lellang airport.
The region has faced hazardous air quality in recent weeks due to the smoke. The Civil Aviation Authority of Malaysia and the Transport Ministry’s Air Accident Investigation Bureau have launched an investigation into the cause of the crash.
This is a developing story.
