KUCHING: A multi-agency search and rescue team comprising more than 100 men will focus their search for the helicopter which went missing here to three areas, namely Sri Aman, Simunjan and Betong.
Sarawak police commissioner Datuk Seri Muhammad Sabtu Osman said the team included 40 men from the General Operation Force, marine police (13), Fire and Rescue Department (39) and Civil Defence Department (30).
"The SAR mission will focus our search in these three divisions," Sabtu added.
Sabtu said an earlier team deployed by police to Triso had returned with no results after combing the area more than three times.
The helicopter, believed to be ferrying five people including a deputy minister, from Betong to Kuching, went missing today.
Among those believed to be on board on the AS350/RPC6828 helicopter include Deputy Plantation Industries and Commodities Minister Datuk Noriah Kasnon; Kuala Kangsar Member of Parliament Datuk Wan Mohammad Khairil Anuar Wan Ahmad, who is also the Malaysian Palm Oil Board chairman, and the ministry secretary-general Datuk Dr Sundaran Annamalai.
Others believed to be on board of the helicopter, which had departed from Betong at 4.12pm, were Noriah's husband Asmuni Abdullah and her bodyguard Ahmad Sobri Harun.
Authorities, however, refused to confirm the names of those on-board the missing helicopter.
Sabtu said police were notified over the missing helicopter by the Department of Civil Aviation (DCA) at 8.20pm.
"According to the reports from DCA, the department lost contact with the missing helicopter, and it disappeared from radar about 20 minutes after it had departed from Betong.
"The helicopter was last detected in Triso located within the Sri Aman division.
"Acting on this information, police have activated our Search and Rescue Mission have been activated to locate the missing helicopter,"
Sabtu told a packed press conference at the Sarawak police headquarters today.
Sabtu also denied reports on social media claiming that the missing helicopter had been found in Sri Aman.
"I want to confirm that this report is not true. We were informed by DCA that there were no signs that the helicopter had landed anywhere in the state," he said adding that police would deploy its air surveillance unit today.
Sabtu also said the police and DCA did not receive distress calls from the pilot of the helicopter.