KOTA BHARU, Sept 9 — The father of one of the victims of the helicopter crash in Sarawak, Kamarudin Salleh, said he last met his daughter, Dr Ainul Baroah, when she came home for the school holidays before returning to Sarawak on Sunday.

“She was her usual self, always smiling and not saying much. She spend time with her nieces and nephews and the family,” he told reporters at his home in Kampung Baung, Pengkalan Chepa, here last night. 

Kamarudin said he received news of the incident at 5 pm yesterday from one of his daughter’s parents-in-law.

He said the family had yet to receive confirmation of Dr Ainul Baroah’s condition at the time, before his son-in-law contacted him to confirm his daughter’s passing.

“My daughter worked at Miri Hospital and had been serving in Sarawak for almost two years. Before that, she worked for about two years in Tanah Merah,” said the retired teacher.

Kamaruddin said his daughter’s responsibilities included monitoring patients in several areas, including Baram, which required her to travel by helicopter about once a week.

Meanwhile, Dr Ainul Baroah’s mother, retired teacher Rogayah Mohd Noor, 69, described her daughter as kind and said she had never caused problems for the family since she was a child.

“She was a good daughter. When she came home recently, we noticed that she seemed different from usual. Her face appeared radiant, and there was something different about her,” she added.

Earlier, the Civil Aviation Authority of Malaysia (CAAM) confirmed in a statement that the BO-105 helicopter, which was carrying five people, including the pilot, and operating a Flying Doctor Service flight, crashed near the Long Lellang Short Take-Off and Landing (STOL) airport, about 929 kilometres north of Kuching.

Health Minister Datuk Seri Dr Dzulkefly Ahmad said the helicopter, which departed from Miri, was operated by a pilot and carried a medical officer, an assistant medical officer, and two nurses on official duty.

Meanwhile, Miri Division Resident and chairman of the Miri Division Disaster Management Committee Galong Luang confirmed that all those on board were killed in the incident, which occurred at about 3.40 pm. — Bernama