KUCHING: The service and sacrifices of five Flying Doctor Service (FDS) personnel who perished in a helicopter crash in Long Lellang, Ulu Baram, on 8 September continue to be remembered, with the Sarawak Government providing a total of RM500,000 in financial assistance to their families.

Beyond financial assistance, the government's commitment to the families also extends to education sponsorship from Yayasan Sarawak to help secure the future of the victims' children.

Sarawak Premier Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri (Dr) Abang Abdul Rahman Zohari Tun Datuk Abang Openg presented RM100,000 to each of the bereaved families at a ceremony held at the Sarawak Legislative Assembly (DUN) Complex on Friday.

Speaking to reporters after the ceremony, he said the contribution was part of the Sarawak Government's effort to ease the burden on the families, although no amount of money could compensate for the loss of a loved one.

"As I promised, we are providing some assistance to the families. However, the loss of a family member is far more than that, and cannot be measured in monetary terms. Nevertheless, we hope this assistance will help ease their burden to some extent," he said.

He said the assistance formed part of the commitment previously announced to support the families who had lost their loved ones.

At the same ceremony, the Yayasan Sarawak Education Assistance Sponsorship was also presented to support the continued education of the victims' children and help ease the families' financial responsibilities in the long term.

The five recipients were Nor Izzati Syamimi Suhaimi, Larry Bilong Kule, Mohd Faiz Ab Malek, John Then Hua Ken and Stephanie Essah Incham.

They are the respective spouses of Captain Zainol Afiq Bee Sham, Jessie Paya Jok, Dr Ainul Baraah Kamarudin, Debra Moset and Alexson Adit Henry.

In recognition of their service and sacrifices, all five victims were also posthumously conferred the Pegawai Bintang Sarawak (P.B.S.) medal in conjunction with the Sarawak Governor's 80th birthday celebration on 10 October 2026.

The awards symbolised appreciation for their dedication to providing healthcare services to communities, particularly those in Sarawak's rural and remote areas.

Also present were Sarawak Deputy Premiers Datuk Amar Douglas Uggah Embas, Datuk Amar Awang Tengah Ali Hasan and Datuk Amar Professor Dr Sim Kui Hian, Sarawak DUN Speaker Tan Sri Datuk Amar Mohamad Asfia Awang Nasar, Sarawak Minister for Women, Early Childhood and Community Wellbeing Development Dato Sri Fatimah Abdullah, Sarawak Minister for Transport Dato Sri Lee Kim Shin, Sarawak Secretary Datuk Amar Mohamad Abu Bakar Marzuki, Deputy Ministers and heads of department. -UKASnews

Prepared by: Nur Nabilla
Photos: George S. Embie
Translator: Uilson Ng