A helicopter operating a Flying Doctor Service mission crashed near Long Lellang STOLport in Sarawak, Malaysia, on Tuesday, killing all five people on board, according to the Civil Aviation Authority of Malaysia (CAAM) and local media reports.

The BO-105 helicopter, registration number 9M-LLF, crashed near the Long Lellang STOLport, Sarawak, CAAM confirmed in a statement. The authority said it received notification of the incident from the Flight Information Service at 3.58 p.m. local time.

The helicopter was flying from Miri Airport to Long Lellang when it crashed near the STOLport. It went down at approximately 3:40 p.m., at the end of the runway.

The aircraft was operating a Flying Doctor Service flight with five persons on board, including the pilot. Officials confirmed there were no survivors. The victims comprised the pilot and four Ministry of Health personnel on official duty: a medical officer, an assistant medical officer, and two nurses.

Family members identified one of the victims as 32-year-old medical officer Dr Ainul Baroah Kamaruddin, who was from Kota Bharu, Kelantan, and had been serving at Miri Hospital since last year after previously working at Tanah Merah Hospital. She had relocated to Sarawak to join her husband, a teacher based in Miri. As of this report, the identities of the other victims had not been officially released.

The Air Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB), under the Ministry of Transport Malaysia, will investigate the incident in accordance with Part XXVI of the Civil Aviation Regulations 2016.

Rescue operations were launched shortly after the crash. Miri Resident and Miri divisional disaster management committee chairman Galong Luang confirmed the deaths, citing reports from the fire and rescue department and the health ministry. Marudi Police Chief DSP Nor Aizan Mohd Jamil was reported to be commanding the mission and overseeing the police investigation, with the remains to be flown directly to Miri Airport upon retrieval.

Malaysian officials expressed condolences over the crash. Deputy Minister in the Sarawak Premier's Department Datuk Gerawat Gala said the incident was deeply heartbreaking, noting that Long Lellang was among the remote areas that relied heavily on air services for access to healthcare and basic services. In Putrajaya, Health Minister Datuk Seri Dr Dzulkefly Ahmad said the ministry is contacting the victims' families to provide support and is working with security authorities, rescue teams, and relevant aviation agencies to obtain accurate information from the scene.

The crash has also prompted scrutiny of the aircraft type involved. The helicopter, built in Germany in 1991, had previously operated under registrations in Germany, the United States, and South Africa before entering service in Malaysia; production of the BO-105 model ceased in 2001. A Malaysian senator has since called for the temporary grounding of BO-105 helicopters pending the outcome of the investigation.

Source: CAAM/New Straits Times/TV Sarawak