Cameron Highlands heli crash: victims were saved, already taken to hospital

KUALA LUMPUR - The victims of the helicopter crash in Cameron Highlands were successfully saved and have been taken to the hospital.

Caretaker Transport Minister Datuk Seri Dr Wee Ka Siong announced that the pilot of the Airbus AS 355 F2 helicopter and the five passengers on board were found safe by the search and rescue team that was deployed in the evening.

In the 1.15 pm incident, the helicopter, transporting a medical team, crashed while attempting an emergency landing in a forested area near Brinchang early this afternoon.

The aircraft, operated by Layang Layang Aerospace Sdn Bhd, had taken off from Kampung Gawin in Gua Musang, Kelantan for Tanjung Rambutan, Perak at 12.20 pm.

In light of the accident, Wee said that the Air Accident Investigation Bureau will conduct further investigations into the crash and had also called for the bureau to improve its safety compliance inspections among private operators in the local aviation industry.

"They have to be more alert, especially considering the bad weather factor currently. I am monitoring the situation with updates provided by the CAAM (Civil Aviation Authority of Malaysia) from time to time," he said in a Facebook post today.

Meanwhile, Layang-Layang Group, in a statement, said the aircraft was transporting medical personnel to Tanjung Rambutan after serving the rural area of Kampung Gawin when the aircraft lost contact with the company's flight operations centre.

Group General Manager Captain Shahdon Poong said the families of the victims have been notified and assistance will be given where needed.

"Following guidelines of the Aviation Safety Management System, Layang Layang Group is taking the necessary immediate actions to mitigate further incidents and accidents," he said.

He added that the safety team will work closely with the Air Accident Investigation Bureau to determine the root cause of the accident. - Bernama