By Brad Rantayy
MARUDI, Feb 2: A Sabah Air Bell 206 Helicopter crashed in Marudi yesterday, while lifting an underslung load weighing 295kg.
Marudi district police chief DSP Jo Hang said the two people on board, the pilot and his co-pilot, survived the crash with minor injuries.
“Both of them were sent to Marudi Hospital by Jupem staff by road and arrived at Marudi Hospital at 10.40pm on Feb 1, and were discharged at 11.25pm,” he said when contacted.
Both victims have been identified as Capt Mohd Dom Wahab and Capt Muhd Amirul Asraf.
It was believed that the cargo was stuck on the mooring point and skidded left, causing the helicopter to tilt and its fan hitting the trees, before it went down.
The helicopter reportedly headed to the Jupem (Survey and Mapping Department) before the incident at around 5.57pm.
The two survivors manage to free themselves from the wreckage and walked to Jupem base camp accompanied by the department personnel, before they were transported to Marudi.
The camp was set up to facilitate border surveying works. — DayakDaily
