Agriculture and Agro-based Industry Minister Datuk Seri Ahmad Shabery Cheek was supposed to board the helicopter carrying a deputy minister that went missing last night.

As Shabery was about to board the helicopter to return to Kuching after attending a function in Spaoh town, Sarawak Deputy Chief Minister Tan Sri Alfred Jabu who was accompanying him, offered his official helicopter to him and his entourage.

Shabery's police bodyguard, Fadhrul Azmar Remli told Bernama today that, "Shabery was about to board the helicopter when at the last minute, Jabu suggested that he switched to another helicopter".

Fadhrul said Jabu told Shabery to board his official helicopter as he (Jabu) would not be flying to Sibu for another function.

Fadhrul who was in Shabery's entourage, had earlier boarded the missing helicopter from Tanjung Bijat to Spaoh while Shabery took a different helicopter.

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The RP-C 6828 was from Betong enroute to Kuching when it disappeared from the radar, according to the Department of Civil Aviation.

It departed from Betong, about 250km from here at 4.12pm and should have arrived in Kuching around 5pm.

Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak confirmed that the helicopter was carrying six people, among them Plantation Industries and Commodities Deputy Minister Datuk Noriah Kasnon and her husband Asmuni Abdullah, and Kuala Kangsar Datuk Wan Muhammad Khairil Anuar Wan Ahmad.

Also in the helicopter were Plantation Industries and Commodities secretary-general Datuk Dr Sundaran Annamalai, Noriah's bodyguard Ahmad Sobri Harun, and pilot Rudolf Rex Ragas, a Filipino.

Recounting Shabery's schedule for yesterday, Fadhrul said the minister went to Tanjung Bijat in Sri Aman Division by road from Kuching, for a function which was also attended by Jabu.

After the event, Shabery had wanted to go Spaoh town to attend a function with local farmers but Jabu invited him to take his helicopter.

Fadhrul said he could not join Shabery and Jabu, and instead took helicopter RP-C 6828 that had been rented to take Shabery to Spaoh.

After the Spaoh event, Shabery was ready to board the rented helicopter to fly back to Kuching but Jabu had asked him to join him (Jabu) in his helicopter.

Fadhrul said the helicopter that Shabery was to take was then instructed to go to Betong and pick up Noriah and her entourage.

He said the missing helicopter could travel faster than the one Noriah had taken to Betong.

According to Fardhrul, a photograph circulated on social media showing Noriah and her entourage posing by a helicopter was taken at Hornbill Skyways at Kuching International Airport before they left for Betong for a separate event.