Department of Civil Aviation (DCA) director-general Azharuddin Abdul Rahman said a helicopter cushion was found near Pulau Triso and a helicopter tail boom at Sungai Merah, some 4km northeast from Lingga.

Speaking at a press conference at Sarawak DCA headquarters today, he said the search and rescue operations would be focused around the Sebuyau and Lingga area near Batang Lupar, stretching across 875km, to locate the last missing victim in the helicopter tragedy.

The bodies of five passengers in the aircraft have been recovered, while the pilot, Rudolf Rex Ragas, a Filipino, is still missing.

Azharuddin added the relevant authorities would not use sonar system but metal detectors throughout the rescue mission to find the wreckage of the helicopter.

“If we pick up any signal of metal in the river, we will immediately deploy the divers. The operations will continue until we know the real reason behind the incident,” he was quoted as saying.

Azharuddin denied that the helicopter was overloaded, as speculated about in online postings. “Anything that is mentioned in social media will remain as speculation,” he said. “Let the relevant investigative bodies led by DCA accident investigations head Captain Yahya Abdul Rahman handle the matter.”

The helicopter crashed near Batang Lupar while en route from Betong to Kuching on Thursday.

Those who were killed were Noriah Kasnon, deputy minister of Plantation Industries and Commodities; her husband Asmuni Abdullah; the ministry’s secretary-general Dr Sundaran Annamalai; Kuala Kangsar MP Datuk Wan Mohammad Khai-ril Anuar Wan Ahmad; and Noriah’s bodyguard Ahmad Sobri Harun.