Remains of sixth Sarawak helicopter victim found

The body of the sixth victim of the RPC 6828 helicopter mishap in Sebuyau on Thursday evening was found by the Search and Rescue team at about 10.15 this morning.

However, Sarawak Police Commissioner Datuk Seri Mohamad Sabtu Osman said, its identity, believed to be that of Filipino pilot Rudolf Rex Ragas, will only be confirmed by the Sarawak General Hospital (HUS) forensic team.

"At 10.15 this morning, the SAR team at the location discovered a body. It was later brought to the operational control centre in Lingga and arrived there at 11.05.

"However, I will only confirm the identity of the victim after the forensic test result, even though it is known that the only one missing to date is the pilot (Rudolf Rex Ragas).

"As usual, we will not confirm it until forensic has verified its actual identity," he told reporters at the Sarawak police contingent headquarters (IPK) here today.

READ HERE: LIVE UPDATE Sixth and final body believed found

The remains would be flown from Lingga to Kuching before being taken to HUS for identification purpose.

According to Mohamad Sabtu, the sixth body was found floating about 5.5 kilometers from the Triso Ferry Jetty in Lingga.

"Information from the SAR team at the site shows, the marine police patrolling the area found the body of the victim located at 5.5 kilometer from TrisoFerry, about 1 kilometer from the beach. It was floating," he said.

According to him, despite finding the sixth victim, the search for the main body of the helicopter will still be continued with the aid of technology such as the sonar system owned by the Royal Malaysian Navy (RMN) and Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA).