Remains found of missing helicopter with deputy minister aboard

Rescue teams in Malaysia found Friday in a river on Borneo Island the debris of a helicopter that disappeared Thursday in the state of Sarawak with six people aboard, including a Malaysian deputy minister.

The remains include a rotor blade, part of a helicopter wall, a door and a seat and were found near the Batang Lupar River, Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak said in statements published by The Star daily.

The prime minister added that the operation will complicated due to the breadth of the river and it will continue until the main body of the chopper is found.

The Eurocopter AS 350 lost contact with the base 20 minutes after leaving Betong for Kuching, capital of Sarawak, a journey that typically takes about 40 minutes.

The search is focused on the estuary area of Batang Lupar River, where the helicopter was last detected, operations chief Azman Julaihi told The New Straits Times.

Among the missing is Malaysian Deputy Minister of Plantation Industries and Commodities, Noriah Kasnon, who travelled to Betong to participate in the elections to be held on May 7 in Sarawak.

In addition to the deputy minister, others on board the helicopter include her husband, the ministry’s secretarygeneral, MP and chairman of the Malaysian Palm Oil Board and a personal bodyguard.