PETALING JAYA: Eight people – six passengers and two crew – on board a Beechcraft 390 Premier light aircraft that took off from Langkawi at 2.08pm yesterday, are believed killed when the plane crashed at the Elmina West township in Shah Alam yesterday afternoon.
Two other casualties, the driver of a car and a motorcyclist from Bukit Jelutong who were heading towards the Guthrie Corridor, were also killed when the plummeting aircraft crashed into them. Both the on-the-ground victims are believed to be in their 40s and 50s and their remains have been sent to the Tengku Ampuan Rahimah Hospital in Klang for post-mortems.
The identities of the plane victims had not been released at press time.
However, Selangor police chief Datuk Hussein Omar Khan confirmed that a VIP was among the passengers on the aircraft. It has since been confirmed by Pahang state speaker Mohd Sharkar Shamsudin that the VIP is Pelangai assemblyman Datuk Seri Johari Harun, who is also a Pahang state executive councillor. He is said to have been in Langkawi earlier yesterday with other Pahang state executive councillors.
In offering his condolences to Johari’s family on Instagram, Mohd Sharkar said he prays that the soul of Johari, who was also Bentong Umno division chief, would be blessed by Allah SWT.
“I received news about a plane crash at about 3pm that stated there was a VIP from Pahang in the aircraft. Then, I saw his name listed as one of the victims through posts and photos that were shared on social media.
“Upon checking, I found that he was indeed one of the (passengers). It was difficult to accept, as it was only yesterday that we were at the Pahang State Secretary’s Office. He was there to attend the state council meeting and I was in my office,” he said.
The news of Johari’s demise was also shared by Bentong MP Young Syefura Othman, who expressed sadness on her social media account.
In a statement, Civil Aviation Authority of Malaysia CEO Datuk Capt Norazman Mahmud said the aircraft, which was heading to the Sultan Abdul Aziz Shah Airport, contacted the Subang air traffic control tower and was given clearance to land at 2.48pm.
He said at 2.51pm, the control tower staff observed smoke rising from the crash site, but no Mayday call was received from the pilot.
Norazman said the Kuala Lumpur Aeronautical Rescue Coordination Centre was then immediately activated to coordinate a search and rescue mission.
The aircraft was operated by Jetvalet Sdn Bhd.
Social media platform X (formerly Twitter) user azmilwhoruns posted videos and photos of the crash site and debris strewn along the road. The user added that all roads to Elmina West were closed as emergency responders scoured the site.
Earlier yesterday, rumours were rife that the son of the late former Science, Technology and Innovation minister Tan Sri Jamaluddin Jarjis was also a casualty in the tragedy. However, the family denied this and requested the public to stop spreading such fake news.
It is learnt that the flight manifest, which included a passenger named “Bin Jamaluddin” had prompted the rumours.
On April 4, 2015, Jamaluddin was killed when an AS 3655N2 Dauphin helicopter he was in crashed into a jungle at Jalan Sungai Lalang in Kampung Pasir Baru near Semenyih in Selangor.
Among those killed were a businessman, CEO of SP Baiduri Sdn Bhd Tan Huat Seang and a private secretary in the Prime Minister’s Office, Azlin Alias.
Jamaluddin was buried at Makam Pahlawan, located inside the Masjid Negara compound in Kuala Lumpur.
