In a press conference, Liow said that he was aware of speculation on Twitter of a third body being found. However the Ministry could only confirm two for now.

He called for restraint, out of respect for the victims’ families, and urged the public to inform the police if they had any information.

Earlier today, the Search and Rescue operation reported that search teams had found a second body 10km from the SAR centre in Lingga, about 250 km from Kuching.

Liow confirmed that the second body was found at 8.34am in Sg Belabat. The identity was yet to be confirmed, and a post-mortem examination was being carried out.

Star Online reported today that rescuers had received information about a third body in the Batang Lupar river but were unable to reach the location because of the low tide. “Local villagers contacted us to tell us that they saw another body,” said the police commissioner, Muhammad Sabtu Osman. “We cannot verify anything at the moment, except that we are trying our best,” he was quoted as saying.

Liow said the SAR area for today covers 875 square kilometres, with as many as 274 officers involved. Six helicopters, 15 ships and 12 vehicles such as lorries and four-wheel-drive cars had been deployed for the mission.

The remains of the first victim, Noriah Kasnon, deputy minister of Plantation Industries and Commodities, was found on the bank of Sungai Batang Lupar near Sebuyau, about 30km from Lingga, yesterday afternoon.

Other passengers in the ill-fated helicopter were the ministry’s secretary-general Sundaran Annamalai; Noriah’s husband Asmuni Abdullah; Kuala Kangsar MP Wan Mohammad Khair-il Anuar Wan Ahmad, who is Malaysian Palm Oil Board chairman; Noriah’s bodyguard Ahmad Sobri; and the pilot Rudolf Rex Ragas, a Filipino.

The Eurocopter AS350 left Betong for Kuching at 4.12pm on Thursday when it reportedly disappeared from radar a few minutes later.

Parts of the helicopter were recovered yesterday near Sungai Batang Lupar, Sebuyau. Liow however said that no new debris has been found since.