A fatal air accident has led to the death of 10 people following the collision of two helicopters.
Malaysia’s rescue agency confirmed the tragic loss of all 10 crew members as two military helicopters collided and crashed during a training session on Tuesday.
Senior operations commander from the fire and rescue department, Suhaimy Mohamad Suhail, stated, “The two helicopters collided during flight training, and all 10 victims onboard have been confirmed dead by the medical officers.”
Videos circulating online depicted multiple helicopters flying low in formation over the Lumut naval stadium during a flypast rehearsal for the navy fleet’s open day celebrations in May.
During the rehearsal, one helicopter was observed clipping the rear rotor of another, resulting in both spiraling into a tailspin and subsequently crashing.
The rescue agency identified the two helicopters involved as a Eurocopter AS555SN Fennec and an AgustaWestland AW139.
Photos revealed the heavily mangled Eurocopter model surrounded by rescue personnel and debris on the naval base stadium track, while the AgustaWestland helicopter crashed at the naval base’s swimming pool area.
Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim extended his condolences to the families of the victims, stating, “the nation mourns the heart-wrenching and soul-wrenching tragedy.
“I was informed that an immediate investigation will be carried out by the Ministry of Defense, especially TLDM (Royal Malaysian Navy), to find the cause of the crash.”