KUALA LUMPUR: A senior non-commissioned officer from Malaysian Battalion (Malbatt) 850-11, part of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (Unifil), has died.

In a statement, the Armed Forces announced that the Sergeant Faridah Abd Rahman, 36, who served as the Malbatt 850-11 Islamic Affairs senior supervisor at Camp Marakah, collapsed after disembarking from a bus and was pronounced dead by medical officers at 2.25am local time (7.25am Malaysian time) on Saturday (May 18).

Sergeant Faridah, originally from Pendang, Kedah, recently returned to Lebanon after spending time on leave in Malaysia.

"Her body will be sent to Hammoud Hospital in Saida, Lebanon, for an autopsy to determine the cause of death. It is scheduled for 3.30pm Malaysian time on Saturday," read the statement.

Sergeant Faridah joined the Armed Forces in 2007 and served in its Religious Corps. She was the Islamic Affairs senior supervisor in the 19th Battalion of the Royal Malay Regiment (Mechanised) at Airport Camp, Sungai Petani, Kedah, before being deployed to the Malbatt 850-11 Unifil mission.

She is survived by her husband and four children aged from four to 10.

"The Joint Forces Headquarters, which coordinates all Armed Forces operations and missions abroad, will handle the repatriation of her remains to Malaysia," read the statement. – Bernama