18-8-2023 (KUALA LUMPUR) A heartrending scene unfolded on Thursday (August 17) when an air crash near the Elmina township on the Guthrie Highway in Shah Alam, Selangor, claimed multiple lives, including that of pilot Shahrul Kamal Roslan. His final words to his mother, “Adik sayang mama” or “I love you mama” in Malay, now echo as poignant memories in the aftermath of the tragedy.
The aircraft involved was a Beechcraft Model 390 (Premier 1), carrying eight individuals, as indicated in the flight manifest released by Transport Minister Anthony Loke. Tragically, the crash claimed the lives of all on board, including Pelangai assemblyman Johari Harun, pilots Shahrul Kamal Roslan and Heikal Aras Abdul Azim, and passengers Kharil Azwan Jamaludin, Shaharul Amir Omar, Mohamad Naim Fawwaz Mohamed Muaidi, Muhammad Taufiq Mohd Zaki, and Idris Abdol Talib @ Ramali. The incident also resulted in the loss of two road users.
Mahanum Ismail, Shahrul Kamal Roslan’s mother, shared the poignant exchange she had with her son before the tragedy. “He was a mama’s boy, and the last time I spoke to him was when I was admitted to the Tuanku Mizan Military Hospital. The day before I had surgery, he told me that he loved me,” she revealed while holding back tears outside the Tengku Ampuan Rahimah Hospital forensic department in Klang, Selangor. The memory of her son’s last words to her continues to resonate, adding to the grief of losing him.
Shahrul Kamal Roslan’s family is left to cope with the void he left behind. Survived by his wife and four sons, aged between three and 12, their lives have been irrevocably altered by this tragic incident.
Another poignant story emerges through Shamsul Azizan Md Nasir, who rushed to the hospital to ascertain whether his brother-in-law, Khairil, was among the victims. Khairil served as a private pilot for Johari Harun, who was also Pahang’s Local Government, Housing, Environment, and Green Technology Committee chairman. Shamsul’s quest for confirmation speaks to the uncertainty and heartache faced by those connected to the victims.
In the wake of this devastating accident, Chief Minister Wan Rosdy Wan Ismail announced that the Pahang government will shoulder the expenses for funeral arrangements for the victims. He expressed, “The state government will bear whatever the costs for funeral management and burial. We will bear the costs for all the victims of the accident.”
