An aviation disaster rocked Malaysia as a Beechcraft Model 390 plane plummeted from the sky, igniting into a ferocious fireball upon impact with a road in Selangor state killing all eight passengers on board and two on the ground.
The incident which occurred near Malaysia's capital, Kuala Lumpur, sent shockwaves through the nation.
Gripping video clips captured the chilling moment of impact as the aircraft careened down, shrouded in thick black smoke that rose ominously from the wreckage.
Authorities confirmed the grim toll, revealing that six passengers and two members of the flight crew died in the fiery inferno.
Two motorists on the four-lane road also succumbed to the catastrophe, adding a tragic layer to an already harrowing scene.
Malaysian air accident investigators delved into the heart of the tragedy.
Transport Minister Anthony Loke announced that the cockpit voice recorder (CVR) had been recovered and was under intensive analysis.
This device, often referred to as the "black box," holds within it the final moments of the flight crew's interactions and vital sounds from the cockpit.
"We are committed to a thorough and swift investigation," Loke told reporters. "Our priority is to shed light on the circumstances that led to this heartbreaking incident. The results of the investigation will be made public as soon as our analysis is complete."
The ill-fated aircraft was outfitted with only a cockpit voice recorder and lacked a flight data recorder, a fact highlighted by Malaysian police chief Razarudin Husain.
Nevertheless, authorities expressed confidence that their search operations, nearing completion, had meticulously gathered all human remains of the victims scattered across the crash site.
Mohamad Syahmie Mohamad Hashim, a former member of the Malaysian air force, recounted the haunting spectacle of the aircraft's erratic flight before the cataclysmic explosion. "I saw the plane flying erratically," he said, "and then there was a deafening explosion. The sight was both horrifying and surreal."
Transport chief Loke revealed earlier findings that the doomed plane had been authorized to land but deviated dramatically from its intended flight path, ultimately leading to its catastrophic demise.
As Malaysia grapples with this heartrending loss, memories of previous air disasters near the crash site resurfaced.
In 1977, a Japan Airlines flight bound for Singapore met a similar fate in the vicinity, resulting in a devastating toll.
While the circumstances may differ, the tragedy serves as a stark reminder of the fragility of human life in the skies.
