Malaysia helicopter crash kills five in Sarawak

A helicopter operated by Malaysia's Flying Doctor Service crashed at a remote airfield in inland Sarawak, killing all five people on board, Malaysian authorities said Wednesday.

The BO-105 helicopter went down on Tuesday afternoon about 315 kilometres southeast of Miri, disaster management officials said.

“All five on board are deceased,” Galong Luang, Miri's disaster management chairman, said in a statement, citing reports from the Fire and Rescue Department and the Ministry of Health.

Local media said the dead included the pilot, a doctor, a medical assistant and two nurses. The Civil Aviation Authority of Malaysia said an air crash investigation team was expected to reach the crash site on Wednesday.

The cause of the crash was not clear. Malaysia's Flying Doctor Service provides medical care to indigenous communities in interior regions where dense jungle and difficult terrain make air transport important.