HELICOPTER TRAGEDY: 'I WANT MY SISTER BURIED IN SARAWAK,’ SAYS TEENAGER

KUCHING, April 23 (Bernama) -- "I want my older sister to be buried here and I want to see her for one last time,” that was what 16-year-old Honey Viviane Francis said when she heard about her sister Able Seaman I JJM Joanna Felicia Rohna's death in the Royal Malaysian Navy (TLDM) helicopter tragedy in Lumut today.

Honey said she found out about her sister's death from her father at 11 this morning.

"My father came to my school to inform me and my younger sibling about the tragedy and he also showed us the video clip of the helicopter crash.

bootstrap slideshow

"I was shocked and speechless, (it's like) I couldn't believe she's gone. It feels like only yesterday I was chatting away with her,” she said when met at Kampung Sumpas Tampek, about 110 kilometres from Kuching, today.

The Form Four student said she last saw her sister during the Gawai festival last year.

Honey said her sister would always remind her to study hard and to take good care of their family members.

bootstrap slideshow

"She was my only older sister… I am very sad but I accept her death (as) God loves her more,” she said.

The crash involving a Maritime Operations Helicopter (HOM-AW139) and a Fennec (M502-6) aircraft at 9.32 am during fly-past training in conjunction with TLDM’s 90th anniversary, scheduled early next month, killed 10 TLDM officers and personnel, including three women.

Meanwhile, the victim's uncle, Johny Mayi said Joanna's parents received news of her death through a phone call from the TLDM from Lumut, Perak.

"At that time, my niece's death was not confirmed yet...not until an hour later when we saw the news on social media.

"We were just about to have lunch when we received the sad news. Joanna's mum was shocked and could not believe what had happened,” he said.

He said that TLDM officers took Joanna's parents to the airport at about 3.30 pm to fly to Perak to identify her remains and to make funeral arrangements.

-- BERNAMA