SANDAKAN – After a delay of about eight hours, the body of the late Tan Sri Joseph Kurup, who died in Kuala Lumpur yesterday, is scheduled to reach Kota Kinabalu International Airport at 10.15 tonight.
His body will be sent directly to Fook Lu Siew Coffin Supplies Sdn Bhd in Kota Kinabalu for preparation for a memorial service tomorrow.
According to an officer to Joseph’s son, Datuk Arthur Joseph Kurup, the memorial service is open to the public from 2pm to 8pm tomorrow.
Earlier, Scoop reported that Joseph could not be flown to the Sabah capital due to flight cancellations resulting from the ash cloud from Mount Ruang’s volcanic eruption.
Joseph, a prominent veteran of Sabah politics and founder of Parti Bersatu Rakyat Sabah, died at the National Heart Institute in Kuala Lumpur yesterday at the age of 79.
Mount Ruang’s eruption on Tuesday morning in northern Sulawesi, Indonesia spewed an ash cloud that caused the cancellation of numerous flights between Peninsular Malaysia and Sabah and Sarawak, stranding thousands of passengers.
AirAsia, however, has reinstated certain flights this evening, involving the Bintulu, Kuching, Sibu, Johor Bahru and Kota Bharu routes, as well as between Kota Kinabalu and Miri, Kuala Lumpur, Penang, Tawau, Hong Kong, Taipei and Shenzhen. – April 18, 2024