A nightmarish task of finding the missing Hornbill Skyways helicopter in the mountainous Borneo terrain has ended, and another to identify the recovered bodies has started.

DNA and forensic experts from Kuching are now waiting at the Miri hospital for the bodies to arrive later this afternoon.

The identification process is expected to be tedious as the bodies are reported to be in very advanced stage of decomposition. The passengers on board the helicopter were missing for more than two weeks.

The only body that can be positively identified is that of the uniformed pilot strapped to the pilot's seat.

The six-seater Bell 206 Long Ranger helicopter was carrying seven passengers including Assistant Minister Dr Judson Tagal when it crashed into the thick forest of Mt Murud, less than 15 minutes after it took off from Bario on July 12.

Found a distance away

The site is reported to be only 10 minutes by helicopter from Bario and three hours trekking from Pa Lungan, the nearest village in the area from Bario.

Meanwhile, a police source at the Miri operations room told malaysiakini today that the bodies of the other two passengers were found about 100m from the wreckage last night. Five were officially confirmed to have been accounted for yesterday.

The two could either have managed to quickly get out of the helicopter when it crashed into the forest canopy, or before it hit the ground, or thrown off the helicopter through the door, the source said.

Two commandos, who winched down from a RMAF Nuri helicopter yesterday afternoon, found the helicopter door open. Four bodies were found inside the wreckage and one outside.

The state government is expected to issue a written statement later today after the seven have all been positively identified.

Besides Judson ( right ), the others on board were Padawan Municipal Council chairperson Lawrence Th'ng, businessman Marcus Raja, Sarawak Electricity Supply Corporation CEO Roland Wong, engineers Ling Tian Ho and Jason Ng. The helicopter was piloted by Capt Samsuddin Hashim.

Some are unhappy

Meanwhile, malaysiakini understands that the local Lun Bawang community will ask the state government to carry out an independent public inquiry to ascertain the causes of the accident as well as the methods deployed on the search and rescue operations.

It is learnt that some family members of the victims had expressed their unhappiness over the way the whole operation was conducted including the dissemination of information.

Two days ago, Mutang Tagal, younger brother of Judson and former Bukit Mas MP was quoted in the local newspapers as posing questions on the search and rescue operations, said to the largest ever mounted in the country.

Judson, a medical surgeon by training, was the Ba'kekalan state assemblyperson, a former state assembly deputy speaker and Sarawak Progressive Democratic Party (SPDP) secretary-general.

Marcus Raja was an accountant by training and a successful Orang Ulu entrepreneur.

Both are considered "favourite sons" of the Lun Bawang community.

TONY THIEN is malaysiakini's Sarawak-based stringer.