KUANTAN: Pahang State Legislative Assembly Speaker Datuk Seri Mohd Sharkar Shamsudin shared the news about the death of the state Local Government, Housing, Environment and Green Technology Committee chairman Datuk Seri Johari Harun in a plane crash in Elmina near Shah Alam, today.

On his official Instagram account, Mohd Sharkar posted two photos of him with Johari and wrote that he prayed that the soul of the Pelangai assemblyman and Bentong UMNO division chief be blessed by Allah SWT.

"I received news about a plane crash at about 3pm that says there was a VIP from Pahang in the aircraft...then I saw his name linked as one of the victims through the posts and photos that went viral on social media.

"Upon checking I found that he was indeed one of the victims. It was difficult to accept as it was only yesterday that we were at the Pahang State Secretary's Office, him to attend the state council meeting and I, in my office," he said when contacted.

The news of Johari's demise was also shared by the Bentong MP Young Syefura Othman who expressed her sadness on her social media account.

"I am so saddened by this loss. Just two days ago, Datuk Seri Jo and I discussed the future development in Bentong and Pelangai," she said.

Earlier, Selangor police chief Datuk Hussein Omar Khan confirmed 10 people were killed in the crash, eight of them were on board the Beechcraft 390 Premier light aircraft, while the remaining two were the driver of a car and a motorcyclist.

Meanwhile, the Civil Aviation Authority of Malaysia (CAAM) chief executive officer Datuk Captain Norazman Mahmud said in a statement the aircraft departed from Langkawi International Airport at 2:08pm en route to Sultan Abdul Aziz Shah Airport, Subang.

-- BERNAMA