PUTRAJAYA: The Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA) has flown 60 pints of blood taken from residents of Tioman Island, Pahang on a mercy flight to the Sultanah Aminah Hospital (HSA) in Johor Bahru yesterday.
MMEA, in a statement, said the operation was led by its Air Operations director Brig Gen Datuk Rosni Aziz and six flight crew members.
“The blood supplies which were flown today (yesterday) served as a medical aid to the patients in need following the fire incident that broke out at the hospital this morning,” said the statement.
The operation involved the use of the agency’s Agusta Westland (AW 139) helicopter.
The aircraft left the Subang Air Base at 10.30am and arrived at the Tioman Island Airport at 11.30am.
Later, the helicopter departed the island at 2.30pm and landed at the Senai International Airport at 3pm.
In the 8.56am incident, the fire resulted in the deaths of six patients at the ICU comprising four women and two men.
They were among the seven patients in the ICU. Another patient was rescued by firefighters and is now being treated at the hospital.
Two HSA staff were sent to the Sultan Ismail Hospital, while another staff is still receiving treatment at HSA due to smoke inhalation. — Bernama