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Tears flow as Noriah's remains arrive at police headquarters

Tears flowed when the remains of deputy minister Noriah Kasnon arrived at the Sarawak police headquarters in Kuching this afternoon.

Among those present were Women, Family and Community Development Minister Rohani Karim, whose swollen red eyes spoke of her grief.

"I was there to send her off and I need to be here to see her. I need to make sure she's returned to her family," she said.

"We got the news this morning, so a lot of the crying has been done.

"All night last night, we were hoping they would land safely somewhere. I kept getting images of the crash in my head. I didn't want them," she added.

Though not related, Rohani and Noriah were evidently close, as the former referred to the deceased as her "younger sister".

Noriah, who was the plantation industries and commodities deputy minister, was among the six on board the Eurocopter AS350 which went missing yesterday evening on its way to Kuching from Betong.

Also on the helicopter was her husband Asmuni Abdullah.

As police officers and air force personnel carried Noriah's remains - who would be interred at the police mortuary for the time being - the sight of the body bag moved many present to tears.

This included colleagues of the deputy minister, some who were still dressed in full government garb.

Photographers and camera crew acquiesced to the police's request that their grief not be recorded.

This morning, search and rescue personnel found parts of the ill-fated helicopter.

Others on board were the ministry's secretary-general Dr Sundaran Annamalai, Kuala Kangsar Member of Parliament Wan Muhammad Khairil Anuar Wan Ahmad, Noriah's bodyguard Ahmad Sobri Harun, and Filipino pilot Rudolf Rex Ragas.

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