Jakarta - The Indonesian Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirmed that an Indonesian citizen was killed in a helicopter crash in the Bentong area, Pahang state, Malaysia.
Director of Protection of Indonesian Citizens and Legal Entities at the Indonesian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Judha Nugraha, said that the Indonesian Embassy in Kuala Lumpur has coordinated with the Malaysian aviation authorities and the company that owns the aircraft, including for the process of recovering and repatriating the bodies of the Indonesian citizens.
"The accident caused one Indonesian citizen with the initials FRS to die," said Judha in a written statement on Thursday.
Judha added that the ill-fated helicopter with registration number PK-ZUV belonged to the Indonesian company Zaveryna Utama which was rented by a Malaysian company to install electrical cables.
The body is currently at Bentong Hospital, Pahang, and representatives of the helicopter owner will arrive in Malaysia on Thursday night for further treatment, he said.
Bentong Regional Police Chief Superintendent Zaiham Mohd Kahar confirmed that the victim of the Bell 206L4 helicopter crash incident in Bentong, Pahang, was a 27-year-old Indonesian field officer, as reported by Malaysian news agency Bernama.
According to Zaiham, the helicopter suddenly lost control while maintaining a gliding altitude of three meters for refueling, so that the helicopter's legs rubbed against the landing area, then rolled over and caught fire.
The helicopter pilot reportedly survived with only minor injuries after a local resident took the initiative to rescue the pilot from the burning helicopter.
Meanwhile, the relevant Malaysian authorities are still investigating the cause of the accident at the location where the helicopter crashed.