Malaysia plane accident kills 10, including 2 motorists, after crash on Selangor highway
- All 8 people on board as well as a person in a car and one on a motorcycle died after the aircraft plummeted to the ground and exploded upon impact
- Pahang’s Pelangai assemblyman Johari Harun was among those killed
A small aircraft crashed onto a highway near Shah Alam in the Malaysian state of Selangor on Thursday, killing 10 people including an assemblyman.
“For now, I can say at least 10 people were killed in the plane crash. Two passing motorists – one in a car and one on a motorcycle – also perished together with the eight on board the plane,” Shah Alam district police chief Mohamad Iqbal Ibrahim told AFP.
The private aircraft, carrying six passengers and two crew members, was travelling from the resort island of Langkawi to Subang airport in Selangor when it crashed at about 2.10pm, just before it was due to land.
The aircraft lost contact with the air traffic control tower and crashed into a motorbike and a car on the highway, Selangor police chief Hussein Omar Khan told reporters. “There was no emergency call, the aircraft had been given clearance to land,” he added.
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10 people killed after plane crashes on highway in Malaysia
Photos and videos on social media platforms show a burnt section of the highway, with smoke rising from a fire.
The aircraft reportedly plummeted to the ground and exploded upon impact, Free Malaysia Today reported, citing China Press.
Pahang’s Pelangai assemblyman Johari Harun was among those killed.
Local politicians, including United Malays National Organisation (UMNO) communications director Lokman Adam, expressed their condolences on social media.
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Malaysia’s civil aviation authority (CAAM) said the aircraft made first contact with Subang Air Traffic Control Tower at 2.47pm and landing clearance was given at 2.48pm.
“At 2.51pm, the Subang Air Traffic Control Tower observed smoke originating from the crash site but no mayday call was made by the aircraft,” CAAM chief executive Norazman Mahmud said in a statement.
CAAM said the flight was operated by Jet Valet, a Malaysian private aircraft services company.
Norazman later said at a press conference that initial findings revealed the plane to be airworthy and that it had all its relevant registrations and licences. He also said that the two pilots aboard the aircraft were experienced.
Speaking to reporters on Thursday evening, Transport Minister Anthony Loke said that the authorities were still searching for the plane’s black box.
He declined to speculate on what could have caused the accident.
“I can’t comment now because the investigations are still going on. I hope people don’t make any speculations on the accident.”
However, he shared that the plane veered off to the right of its planned flight path.
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The transport minister also read out the names of the passengers and crew on the manifest, but said the identity of the bodies had to be verified through forensic tests.
The bodies have been sent to the Klang Hospital in Selangor.
Meanwhile, the Selangor police chief said they were working to identify the motorcyclist and driver of the car.
