Senawang: A video call lasting more than an hour with his mother on the night before the incident turned out to be the final moment for the family of pilot Captain Zainol Afiq Bee Sham, 31, who was involved in a helicopter crash in Sarawak.

According to BERNAMA News Agency, Zainol Afiq's father, Bee Sham Ahmad, 59, shared that his son, the fourth of 12 siblings, had a lengthy video call with his mother, Zaiton Muda, on the night before the crash. "He always called us, but the night before yesterday, he had a video call with his mother for more than an hour and a half, from 10 pm until after 11 pm... little did we know that it would be his last call," Bee Sham recounted. The family was informed of the tragic incident by Bee Sham's eighth child, who conveyed the news yesterday afternoon.

The last encounter with Zainol Afiq was during the recent Negeri Sembilan State Election, when he took a week's leave to return to Senawang to vote before heading back to Miri to resume his duties. Meanwhile, the family is traveling to Miri, Sarawak, to undergo DNA testing and related identification procedures, as well as to obtain further updates on the incident. The victims remain at the crash site due to its remote location, and the family awaits arrangements to bring the remains home, intending to bury him at the Forest Heights Senawang Muslim Cemetery, if permitted.

Zainol Afiq is survived by his wife and two children, aged six years and 10 months. The BO-105 helicopter, carrying five people including the pilot, crashed and caught fire near the Long Lellang Short Take-Off and Landing Airport (STOLport) in Ulu Baram. The Civil Aviation Authority of Malaysia (CAAM) confirmed receiving notification of the crash from the Flight Information Service at 3.58 pm. The four other victims were identified as Dr Ainul Baraah Kamaruddin, assistant medical officer Alexson Adit, and two nurses, Debra Moset and Jessie Paya.