Ten crew members aboard two separate Royal Malaysian Navy (RMN) helicopters have tragically lost their lives following a mid-air collision.
According to the navy, the accident occurred on April 23 at 9:23am during a rehearsal at Lumut Naval base in the western state of Perak.
“All victims were confirmed dead at the scene and sent to the Lumut naval base military hospital for identification,” noted the authorities.
The collision occurred during a mid-air maneuver which was part of a fly-past training for the RMN‘s 90th anniversary celebrations.
Among the choppers involved were a Eurocopter AS555SN Fennec lightweight carrying three crew members and an AW139 maritime operation helicopter which had seven people onboard, as confirmed by the navy.
A video share by Malaysian local media verified as authentic by police showed multiple helicopters flying in formation, when one of the aircraft’s rotors collided with another before both plummeted to the ground.
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Following the crash, Malaysian Defence minister, Datuk Seri Khaled Nordin considered postponing its scheduled 90th anniversary celebrations.
“That (the organization of the RMN 90th anniversary celebration) I believe will be considered because it is a programme arranged by the RMN,” he told reporters after he was asked whether the celebration set for this Saturday, 27 would continue.
Datuk also confirmed that this incident happened on the third rehearsal as the first two went smoothly.
Nonetheless, an investigation board has been set up by the RMN to look into the incident.
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Further, the Defence minister conveyed his condolences to the affected families.
“I would like to express my condolences to the victims’ families over the incident that occurred during the Royal Malaysian Navy’s anniversary celebration rehearsal,” he said.
He also appealed to the public not to share the footage of the accident, emphasizing on the importance of respecting the sensitivity of the families and avoiding any interference with the investigations.
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“I hope the public will not share clips of the incident to respect the sensitivity of the victims’ families and, at the same time, not disrupt investigations by the authorities.
Datuk further added that he will visit the site together with the armed forces to gather more information on the crash.
“The armed forces chief and I will go to Lumut to observe and obtain on-ground information and reports of the incident,” he said.
Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim characterized the incident as a “heart-wrenching tragedy” and assured the public that an investigation would take place.
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