Ten crew members were killed in the incident, the Malaysian Navy has confirmed
Two helicopters of the Royal Malaysian Navy (TLDM) collided during a rehearsal for next month’s 90th anniversary celebration show on Tuesday.
The two aircraft collided and crashed at the Lumut TLDM naval base at 9:32 in the morning local time while carrying out a flyby rehearsal, the Navy said in a statement.
“All victims were confirmed dead on site and the remains were sent to TLDM Military Hospital for identification process,” the Navy confirmed in a statement, adding an investigative body will be formed to find out the cause of the incident.
The two helicopters involved were an AgustaWestland AW139 helicopter and a lighter Eurocopter Fennec. One helicopter had seven crew on board, while the other had three.
BREAKING: 2 military helicopters crash after mid-air collision in Malaysia, killing all 10 people on board pic.twitter.com/4afNggr0x9
— BNO News (@BNONews) April 23, 2024
The AW139 crashed onto the steps of Lumut base’s stadium while the Fennec went down at the pool of the base’s sports complex, according to local newspaper Malaymail.
The Navy has called on the public to refrain from sharing videos and photos of the deceased to protect the sensitivity of the victims’ families.
Nahas helikopter di Lumut: TLDM sahkan semua 10 mangsa maut
Tentera Laut Diraja Malaysia (TLDM) mengesahkan sebuah Helikopter Operasi Maritim (HOM-AW139) TLDM dan sebuah helikopter FENNEC TLDM telah terhempas semasa raptai Perbarisan Hari TLDM ke-90 di Pangkalan TLDM Lumut pada… pic.twitter.com/ITIXiwQBq7
— Buletin TV3 (@BuletinTV3) April 23, 2024