astina
4th September 2005, 06:20
KUALA LUMPUR : Three Russians were killed after their helicopter crashed while conducting a logging operation in the Malaysian state of Sarawak on Borneo island, police said on Sunday.
The pilot, co-pilot and the mechanic were the only three people on board the KAMOV KA-32 helicopter when it went down amid heavy rain on Saturday and burst into flames in the southern region of Kapit.
The three, who have yet to be identified, were working for local logging company Wong Tong Kuang, said Chief Inspector Steward Dawi from Sarawak police headquarters.
The crash "was witnessed by several of the workers at the logging camp. The helicopter was at the time lifting logs but due to uncertain circumstances the helicopter just swung down and caught on fire," he told AFP.
"It was bad weather at the time," Steward added.
The pilot's body was retrieved but a rescue team was working on Sunday to free the bodies of the other two from the wreckage, he said.
The crash was the third accident involving helicopters in Sarawak this year and the seventh aviation accident in the state in the last 18 months. - AFP/de
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Copyright © 2005 Agence France Presse. All rights reserved.
http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/afp_asiapacific/view/166506/1/.html
The pilot, co-pilot and the mechanic were the only three people on board the KAMOV KA-32 helicopter when it went down amid heavy rain on Saturday and burst into flames in the southern region of Kapit.
The three, who have yet to be identified, were working for local logging company Wong Tong Kuang, said Chief Inspector Steward Dawi from Sarawak police headquarters.
The crash "was witnessed by several of the workers at the logging camp. The helicopter was at the time lifting logs but due to uncertain circumstances the helicopter just swung down and caught on fire," he told AFP.
"It was bad weather at the time," Steward added.
The pilot's body was retrieved but a rescue team was working on Sunday to free the bodies of the other two from the wreckage, he said.
The crash was the third accident involving helicopters in Sarawak this year and the seventh aviation accident in the state in the last 18 months. - AFP/de
AFP text, photos, graphics and logos shall not be reproduced, published, broadcast, rewritten for broadcast or publication or redistributed directly or indirectly in any medium. AFP shall not be held liable for any delays, inaccuracies, errors or omissions in any AFP content, or for any actions taken in consequence.
Copyright © 2005 Agence France Presse. All rights reserved.
http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/afp_asiapacific/view/166506/1/.html