KUALA SELANGOR: It has been nearly a month since the plane crash at the Elmina Township but the image of the motorcyclist who was burnt alive still haunts lorry driver Muhd Affendi Sobri.
The 32-year-old was driving along the Guthrie Corridor Expressway (GCE) delivering goods from Subang to Rawang when he and his attendant witnessed the Beechcraft Model 390 (Premier 1) fall from the sky.
"We couldn't believe our eyes. Suddenly we saw a huge fireball and I immediately drove to the Elmina exit.
"I stopped the lorry nearby and told my attendant to call the Fire and Rescue Department while I grabbed my fire extinguisher to help," he said when met at the Kuala Selangor Fire Station on Thursday (Sept 7).
Muhd Affendi was among six people who received letters of appreciation for their help during the incident.
"I tried to walk closer and it was then that I heard the motorcyclist calling for help.
"The fire had already engulfed him and I tried to get closer to him to put it out but the heat was just too intense.
"I remember there were minor explosions during the incident including the motorcycle that he was riding," he said, adding that all he could do was watch in horror.
He said he was still haunted by what he witnessed that day.
"I could only watch from some distance as he slowly stopped moving," he said, adding that Fire and Rescue Department personnel arrived at the scene shortly afterward.
He said he just wished he could have done more to help that day.
When asked if he would continue to stop and help if he ever witnessed other disasters, he nodded and said he was undeterred.
On Aug 17, the aircraft crashed near Bandar Elmina in Shah Alam, Selangor, killing 10 people including Pahang local government, housing, environment and green technology committee chairman Datuk Seri Johari Harun.
Eight victims were two flight crew and six passengers of the light aircraft, while the other two were a car driver and a motorcyclist who were on the road at that time.
The ill-fated plane was on its way from Langkawi to Subang.
