Jakarta, ThedailyID — Five people were killed after a medical helicopter crashed near Long Lellang Short Take-Off and Landing airport in Sarawak, Malaysia, on Tuesday, September 8, 2026.
The victims included a pilot, a doctor, a medical assistant and two nurses. All five worked under Malaysia’s Ministry of Health.
Galong Luang, head of the Miri Division Disaster Management Committee, confirmed the deaths.
“All five people on board the aircraft died, as confirmed by reports from the Fire and Rescue Department and the Ministry of Health,” Galong said, according to The Star, Wednesday, September 9, 2026.
Evacuation operations at the crash site continued into Wednesday morning.
Malaysia’s Health Minister Dzulkefly Ahmad said hospitals were ready to receive the victims once the evacuation process ended.
“Miri Hospital is fully ready to receive the victims as soon as they are evacuated from the crash site,” Dzulkefly said, according to the New Straits Times.
The helicopter had departed from Miri for Long Lellang in the interior of Sarawak. The crew was carrying out a Doctor Flying Service mission.
The program provides government healthcare services to people living in remote areas.
According to preliminary information from the Miri Airport Fire and Rescue Service, the helicopter crashed near the end of the runway at Long Lellang at around 3:40 p.m. local time.
Authorities continued evacuation and response operations as they worked to recover the victims from the crash site.
The cause of the crash had not been disclosed in the initial reports.
