Helicopter Crashes in Malaysia with Lawmaker Aboard: Reports

A helicopter crashed south of Kuala Lumpur on Saturday with all six people on board, including a key political ally of Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak, believed to be dead, reports said.

The helicopter crashed into a rubber plantation in the town of Semenyih with Jamaluddin Jarjis, a lawmaker and a senior member of Najib's political party, aboard.

"We are still gathering information on the crash," Malaysian Home Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi told The Star newspaper.

Hamidi confirmed that Jarjis was aboard the aircraft, according to the daily.

Also believed to have been on board the helicopter was Najib's private secretary Azlin Alias.

An eyewitness told Malaysia's official Bernana news agency that the helicopter "exploded in mid-air" during heavy rain.

"Then, the debris, tail and blades were thrown all over the place," the eyewitness, who was not named, was quoted as saying.

Media reports said three bodies had so far been recovered from the crash site, and that search teams were scouring the area for the remaining passengers.