KUCHING: State PKR chairman Baru Bian has requested that a thorough investigation be conducted into the cause of Friday’s helicopter crash, which killed one of the party’s vice-chairmen.
“There have been too many helicopter accidents in Sarawak over the past few years and I request that the authorities carry out a thorough investigation into the cause of the crash, and look into the overall safety procedures of helicopter services in the state,” he said in a statement yesterday.
A state PKR vice-chairman Peter Ato Mayau was killed when a privately owned helicopter with four persons crashed into a river estuary on Friday.
Baru, who is also Ba Kekalan assemblyman, said he was shocked and deeply saddened by the news.
“The news of the crash came to me last night (Friday) as I was attending a prayer rally at Buduk Nur, Ba Kelalan,” he said.
According to him, Peter was a quiet but principled man who believed in the struggle for justice and fairness for the people.
“He was quietly working and campaigning in the Mambong parliamentary constituency in preparation for the coming general election. We thank him for his contribution to the party and to the people of his area. We will miss him as we carry on with our cause.
“We share in the grief of Peter’s family as they mourn the loss of a loving husband and father. We pray for them and with them. I wish also to extend my sympathy and prayers to the families of the other two victims,” he said.