[Updated] Elmina crash victims classified under sudden death, AAIB to continue probe: Selangor CPO

KLANG — The Air Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) will continue its probe into the tragic Beechcraft 390 plane crash at Bandar Elmina near Shah Alam.

Police, meanwhile, have classified the deaths of the 10 victims involved in the accident as sudden deaths, said Selangor police chief Datuk Hussein Omar Khan.

“We (police authorities) have classified the victims’ demise as sudden deaths and will be conducting our investigations accordingly.

“The AAIB will be dealing with the probe into the crash itself,” Hussein said during a press conference at the Tengku Ampuan Rahimah Hospital (HTAR), here, today.

Urging witnesses of the crash to come forward and aid police investigations, he said that police have recorded statements from several dash-cam owners who managed to capture video evidence of the fatal incident. 

He added that completed identification processing for the victims confirmed that the sudden crash resulted in 10 victims – two crew members, six passengers, a motorist and a motorcar driver. 

“The remains that we found at the incident site were all matches with the bodies that we had already initially identified through DNA, fingerprints and dental records analysis.” 

He also noted that the identification process for the victims had gone smoother than expected as authorities had originally planned for the process to be completed tomorrow. 

“Because of the nature of the incident, the identification process was not simple. But alhamdulillah, the process was completed earlier than expected and we’re able to hand over the victims’ bodies to their families today.” 

Next-of-kin of nine victims had begun gathering at HTAR from as early as 8am today as they await the release of victims from the hospital’s Forensic Department. 

The bodies will be brought to Masjid Jamek Ar-Rahimiah where their final rites will be carried out before their burials at separate cemeteries. 

The remains of one other victim, p-hailing rider Muhamad Hafiz Muhamad Salleh, 32, had been released to his family yesterday. 

On Thursday, the plane crash at approximately 2.48pm saw the deaths of 10 individuals, one of whom was Pelangai state assemblyman Datuk Seri Johari Harun. 

The flight crashed two minutes before it was due to land at the Sultan Abdul Aziz Shah Airport in Subang and did not make any mayday calls prior to its crash. — August 20, 2023