The crash in the news
Co-pilot killed, pilot injured in light aircraft crash
By : Zarina Abdullah
KUALA TERENGGANU: The co-pilot of the ill-fated Diamond Star DA40 light aircraft was found dead while the pilot who suffered serious injuries, survived 14-hours of agony before being found trapped in the wreckage at 7.15am yesterday.
Muhammad Ariff Ahmad Fuad, 20, of Subang Jaya, Selangor, who was pinned to the chair in the cockpit, was believed to have been killed by the impact of the crash.
Meanwhile, Mohd Farid Abdullah, 21, of Bandar Baru, Sungai Buloh, Selangor, managed to crawl eight metres after he got out from the aircraft.
Mohd Farid, who was seriously injured, shouted in vain for help as the crash had occurred in the jungle and the nearest village, Rhu Tapai, a residential area for the hardcore poor, was about four kilometres away.
Rescuers, who started combing the jungles in Tepoh near the Bukit Jong quarry after receiving a report at 5.10pm on Wednesday, found the wreckage at Bukit Bidong in Merang, Setiu.
The rescuers had to depend on information from the villagers who said they saw the aircraft flying low and suspected that it had crashed into a forest area.
State acting police chief Datuk Jalaluddin Abd Rahmad said Mohd Farid was sent to the Sultanah Nur Zahirah Hospital soon after he was found and the body of Muhammad Ariff was taken to the hospital 45 minutes later for a post-mortem.
He said Mohd Farid was being warded for observation.
Jalaluddin said 118 rescuers from the Kuala Terengganu police contingent, Fire and Rescue Department and Civil Defence Department were involved in the operation.
"We had to stop the operation at midnight and resumed around 6.30am yesterday. We spotted the wreckage at 7.15 am," he said when met near the crash site yesterday.
A source said a Nuri helicopter was also seen hovering around the crash site at 4am and is believed to have spotted the aircraft first before informing the rescuers of the exact location.
On Wednesday, the two-seater aircraft had taken off from the Sultan Mahmud Airport for Langkawi International Airport at 4.40pm.
Ten minutes later the police received a call that the aircraft was missing. Immediately a search and rescue team was formed.
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