Five people have died after a helicopter operated by Malaysia’s Flying Doctor Service crashed at a remote airfield in Sarawak on the island of Borneo, authorities said Wednesday.
The BO-105 helicopter went down on Tuesday afternoon at an airfield about 315 kilometres (195 miles) southeast of Miri, according to disaster management officials.
“All five on board are deceased,” Galong Luang, chairman of Miri’s disaster management committee, said in a statement, citing confirmation from the Fire and Rescue Department and the Ministry of Health.
Local media reported that those killed included the pilot, a doctor, a medical assistant and two nurses.
Videos shared on social media appeared to show the helicopter emitting smoke shortly before it crashed.
A Malaysian air crash investigation team was expected to reach the crash site on Wednesday, according to the Civil Aviation Authority of Malaysia. Authorities have not yet determined what caused the accident.
Malaysia’s Flying Doctor Service provides essential medical care to indigenous communities living in remote parts of the country, where dense jungles and challenging terrain make road travel difficult.
Medical teams typically include doctors, medical assistants, nurses and other healthcare workers who travel by helicopter or small aircraft to villages and longhouses on scheduled monthly or twice-monthly visits.
The crash has highlighted the risks faced by medical teams who rely on air transport to reach isolated communities across Malaysia’s interior.
