MORE Pics of Hawk Pilot Maj Mohammad Rohaizan Killed In Crash over South China Sea; Body recovered and taken to Hospital for identification

Insert major Mohammad Rohaizan and Hawk type of
Aircraft he was flying during the crash

Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak talking to newsmen and offering his condolences to the family

Defence Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak Tuesday confirmed that the pilot of the Hawk 208 fighter jet was killed when the aircraft crashed on May 31.

When confirming the pilot's fate Tuesday evening, he said the body was found in the cockpit at the seabed in the South China Sea near Pantai Lanjut, Rompin, Tuesday evening.

The body was found by the Special Naval Unit (PASKAL) in a fuselage section near where many of the fragments were discovered Monday.

"The body was taken to the Tengku Ampuan Afzan Hospital in Kuantan to be identified by the family members," he told reporters after officiating the World Security Forum at the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre here.

The remains in a boat arriving at the jetty

Najib who is also the Deputy Prime Minister expressed his sadness and conveyed his condolence to the pilot's family.

He said a team from the Royal Malaysian Air Force (RMAF) is conducting investigations to identify the cause of the crash.

The aircraft lost contact with the control tower in Kuantan while flying over Rompin waters. Efforts to locate the pilot and aircraft proved futile until last Sunday when fishermen found metal pieces and aircraft parts at Pantai Lanjut, that provided clues on the location of the wreckage.

Meanwhile RMAF's Public Relations Officer Capt Zulkiflee Abdul Latiff said in a statement the search operations that entered its 28th day today found the wreckage and the body three kilometres from Pantai Lanjut shore in Rompin.

Recues efforts to locate the pilot failed even though the area of crash was identifiedl

Maj Mohammad Rohaizan's body will be taken to his hometown in Kampung Kuala Sungai Baru in Melaka after a post mortem. He will be accorded a funeral with full military honours.

The statement added following the discovery of the pilot's remains, search for the remaining fragments of the aircraft would be halted when the Paskau unit was satisfied that no more fragments could be recovered.

The remains in a red body bag transported by a helicopter to the hospital

The remains now in the casket is finally laid to res, RIP

For the STAR newspaper account read here