252 orang asli students ferried by choppers to start new school session

GUA MUSANG: The Air Unit of the Fire and Rescue Department (JBPM) flew 252 orang asli students from four remote settlements here to begin their new school session after their land routes to school were damaged by rain, making them impassable.
Its Special Air Services commander, Supt Cik Hamdan Hamzah said 37 mercy flights were made using three helicopters from the unit's base in Subang, Selangor since the operation began on Monday to ferry the students to their respective school hostels.
"The operation went on smoothly," he told reporters at the Civics Centre field, here, today.
He said initially two helicopters, namely an Agusta AW139 and Agusta 109E, were used for the flight operation from Pos Balar, Pos Bihai, Pos Belatim and Pos Gob, and the addition of an MI17 helicopter today.
Cik Hamdan said in today's operation, a five-month-old orang asli baby girl from Pos Gob who had a serious case of high fever was transferred to Gua Musang Hospital, here, for treatment.
The baby, Amana Safina Junaidi, was accompanied by her mother, Sakila Seri, 26, on the mercy flight. — Bernama