On April 23, a collision between two Malaysian navy helicopters caused the death of all ten crew members during training in the western part of the Malaysian peninsula. The emergency services announced it.
“The two helicopters collided during flight training. The death of the ten victims was confirmed by military doctors,” said Fire and Rescue Service official Suhaimy Mohamad Suhail.
Videos of the crash posted online show seven helicopters flying low above the stadium at the Lumut naval base in the western state of Perak during a rehearsal ahead of a navy event scheduled for May.
As two of the helicopters broke away from the formation and banked to the right, one hit the other. The two aircraft then spun and crashed.
The two helicopters involved were a Eurocopter AS555SN Fennec and an AgustaWestland AW139, emergency services said.
Photos taken at the crash site show rescuers surrounding the badly damaged Eurocopter on the runway at the naval base’s stadium. The AgustaWestland crashed in the base’s swimming pool area.
“The nation mourns this tragedy that has torn the heart and soul,” wrote Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim in a message of condolences to the families of the victims.
“I have been informed that the Ministry of Defense will conduct an immediate investigation to identify the causes of the accident,” he said.
The Southeast Asian country has several precedents for helicopter accidents. Last month a coast guard plane crashed in the Straits of Malacca without causing any casualties.
In 2016, a deputy minister was among the victims of the crash of a Eurocopter AS350 carrying six people in the state of Sarawak on the island of Borneo.
