'Report On Kudat Crash Next Month!

Defence Minister and acting Transport Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein visiting crash survivor Noorhazwin Sharom at Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Kota Kinabalu yesterday

KOTA KINABALU: Two women remained in intensive care after surviving the air crash that killed two people in Kudat on Thursday. Sue Isabella Abal, 26, and Fauziah Pelimin, 32, were being kept under close supervision at Queen Elizabeth 2 Hospital here.
Three other survivors were also warded at the hospital. A hospital spokesman said Sue was recuperating well after surgery, while Fauziah injured her back. Both were reported to be in stable condition. Fauziah's 20-month-old daughter, Nurfilzah Raudhah Redzuan, also a survivor, was traumatised. Fauziah's husband, Redzuan Binting, said Nurfilzah would only drink water and had rejected milk formula. He said she had been breastfed before the crash.
"She also has difficulty sleeping and wants to be cuddled all the time," Redzuan said. He added that their other child, 4-year-old Mohd Raiyan, was also onboard the flight that ploughed into a house at Kampung Sin San after missing the runway while attempting to land at Kudat Airport. Redzuan said he was told that Fauziah was holding Nurfilzah during the crash, but was thrown at least four seats away. "She never let go of our baby until she was rescued."
Three other victims warded at the hospital were pilot Captain Wan Mohd Abdul Amir Wan Yahya, 52, who fractured his ribs, and passengers Noorhazwin Sharom, 29, and Merang Maharani, 54. Chief Minister Datuk Seri Musa Aman and Defence Minister and acting Transport Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein visited the survivors at the hospital here yesterday. Hishammuddin said the wreckage of DHC-6 Twin Otter 9M-MDM would be moved to a hangar in Kota Kinabalu International Airport for investigations.
"I will monitor the probe and will leave no stone unturned. Until the report comes out, which will not take too long, I don't want speculation." Hishammuddin said the report would be ready in a month. He said the investigation would also take into account weather conditions at the time of the accident. The crash killed co-pilot Marc Joel Bansh and passenger Tan Ah Chai. There were 16 passengers onboard. The wreckage, with its tail resting on the fence of a single-storey house, surrounded by electric cables, has attracted crowds over the past three days.
The front part of the plane, which was ripped off exposing the cockpit with its bloodstained seats, is lying on what used to be the kitchen of the house, while the fuselage was spread across the front lawn. Two four-wheel-drive vehicle were also damaged. One of the plane's two propellers was found some 20m behind the house beside a tree that was clipped by the aircraft before it ploughed into the house, spun and came to a halt. The MASWings 19-seater Twin Otter was attempting to land here before proceeding to Sandakan when it crashed.