DNA results for five Long Lellang crash victims due by tomorrow, say Sarawak police

Sarawak Police Commissioner Datuk Mohamad Zainal Abdullah said the remains of the five people killed when the Flying Doctor Service helicopter crash in Long Lellang September 9, 2026, would only be handed over to the respective next-of-kin once the DNA analysis was completed. — File picture by Ahmad Zamzahuri

First Published: Friday, 11 Sep 2026 4:51 PM MYT

MIRI, Sept 11 — The deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) analysis for all five victims of the Flying Doctor Service helicopter crash in Long Lellang last Tuesday is expected to be completed by tomorrow at the latest.

Sarawak Police Commissioner Datuk Mohamad Zainal Abdullah said the remains would only be handed over to the respective next-of-kin once the DNA analysis was completed.

“We anticipate that the DNA analysis for the five victims could be completed by tomorrow at the latest,” he told reporters here today.

Earlier, post-mortem examinations on all five victims were completed at the hospital’s forensic department, with severe burn injuries identified as the cause of death.

Last Tuesday, a BO-105 helicopter carrying five people, including the pilot, crashed near the Long Lellang Short Take-Off and Landing Airport.

The victims were pilot Captain Zainol Afiq Bee Sham, 30; medical officer Dr Ainul Baraah Kamaruddin, 33; medical assistant Alexson Adit Henry, 31; and nurses Debra Moset, 40, and Jessie Paya Jok, 44. — Bernama