'Johari left the meeting abruptly' - Syed Ibrahim

KUANTAN - The Local Government, Housing, Environment, and Green Technology Exco Datuk Seri Johari Harun attended the State Development Meeting in Pekan Kuah, Langkawi, hosted by the Pahang State Development Office, before he was reported dead in the aircraft crash at the Guthrie Highway in Bandar Elmina, Shah Alam, on Thursday.

Pahang Islamic Religious Affairs, Rural Development, and Orang Asli Affairs Exco Datuk Seri Syed Ibrahim Syed Ahmad said the late Johari raised the issue of building homes for the needy before he hurriedly left the meeting without prior notice.

Syed Ibrahim said the late Johari would often inform before he left, but he chose to leave quietly.

"The meeting concluded at 2pm and we left to eat lunch at a shop and prayed at 2.30.

"We (then) wanted to leave the location around 3pm and received news that he (Johari) was involved in an aircraft crash on his way to Subang.

"The Menteri Besar (Datuk Seri Wan Rosdy Wan Ismail) and I, along with friends, rushed back and arrived at 10.30pm at the Klang Hospital. The body had not arrived; it was still under investigation and under the authorities," he said in a Facebook post on Thursday.

The meeting on Thursday was reportedly attended by Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Wan Rosdy Wan Ismail, State Government Secretary Datuk Zulkifli Yaacob, three state government excos, and department chiefs.

Syed Ibrahim said all Pahang state leadership, along with families, friends, and hospital management, awaited the body while reciting the Yasin and prayers.

"Alhamdulillah after praying together, local authorities brought the body at 1.15am.

"May the late Datuk Seri Johari Harun and friends involved in the incident receive grace and forgiveness and be placed in heaven, amin," he said.

On Thursday, Selangor police chief Datuk Hussein Omar Khan confirmed 10 deaths in the incident, and Johari, 53, was listed in the list of passengers.

Eight of those who died were passengers and crew of the aircraft, while two others were civilians using the highway, including a motorcyclist and a motorist at the scene.

The plane travelling from Langkawi to Subang had received clearance to land at 2.48pm.

The aircraft was tracked, diverting to the right of the flight path, and preliminary investigations found it was cleared to land by the Subang Airport control tower.