All ten crew members on board two helicopters were killed in a mid-air collision during training at a Royal Malaysian Navy celebration event on Tuesday (Apr 23).
The incident occurred at the Lumut naval base in the western state of Perak at 9.32am (local time), the navy said in a statement.
The victims were “confirmed dead at the scene and sent to the Lumut army base hospital for identification”, it added.
A video from the incident showed multiple helicopters getting into a formation when one of the helicopters clipped the rotor of the other aircraft before spiralling to the ground.
The two helicopters which collided and crashed at the Royal Malaysian Navy (RMN) base were undergoing a rehearsal for the third time in conjunction with RMN Fleet Open Day celebration scheduled on Saturday (April 27).
Defence Minister Datuk Seri Mohamed Khaled Nordin said the incident resulted in the death of 10 RMN members based in Lumut, Perak and Kota Kinabalu, Sabah.
According to him, RMN will establish an investigation board to identify the cause of the incident involving the RMN helicopters.
“I hope the public will not disseminate the video of the incident in respect of the sensitivity of the victims’ families and not to affect the investigation process,” he told the media at the Ministry of Defence’s Hari Raya Aidilfitri celebration at Kementah Camp here on Tuesday.
He said the identities of some victims involved have been determined as under 40 years old and the bodies have been sent to the Lumut Military Hospital for further processing.
The Civil Aviation Authority of Malaysia (CAAM) has activated its coordination centre to assist in the rescue operation involving the helicopter crash in Lumut, Perak.
The crash, which occurred earlier today, killed all 10 Royal Malaysian Navy (RMN) crew members onboard.
Its chief executive officer Datuk Norazman Mahmud said the Kuala Lumpur Aeronautical Rescue Coordination Centre (KLARCC) was activated at 10.20am today.
“The KLARCC was activated at 10.20am to coordinate rescue operations. RMN will conduct further investigations into the accident,” he said in a statement today.
Earlier, RMN confirmed that a Maritime Operations Helicopter (HOM-AW139) and a Fennec helicopter crashed during a rehearsal for the 90th Navy Day Parade at the Lumut Naval Base at 9.32am this morning.
“This incident involved a total of 10 personnel, comprising seven RMN HOM crew members and three RMN Fennec crew members. All victims were confirmed to have died at the scene and were sent to the Lumut navy base military hospital for identification processes,” it said.
The helicopters – Fennec M502-6 and HOM M503-3 – crashed during a flyover training exercise for the 90th Naval Day celebrations.
The HOM with seven crew members on board crashed on the stairs of the navy stadium and the Fennec manned by a three-member crew dived into the swimming pool of the sports complex.
Malaysia’s fire and rescue department rushed to the spot after being informed about the accident at 9.50am (local time).
His Majesty Sultan Ibrahim, King of Malaysia has expressed his sadness and conveyed his condolences to the families of the Royal Malaysian Navy (RMN) helicopter crash victims in Lumut this morning.
In a Facebook post, Sultan Ibrahim ordered the Malaysian Armed Forces (MAF) to conduct a thorough investigation to get full information on the incident.
“I and Raja Zarith are deeply saddened by the loss of our nation’s heroes in this tragedy. Al-Fatihah and our heartfelt condolences over their departure.
“May they be placed among the believers and martyrs,” His Majesty said.
Prime minister Anwar Ibrahim offered condolences to the bereaved families. “The nation mourns the heart-wrenching tragedy involving the crash of two helicopters at Lumut TLDM Base today.
“This tragedy turned out to have a profound effect on the families of the Malaysian Armed Forces (ATM) and a great loss for the country.”
In a Facebook post, he said the tragedy had deeply affected the Malaysian Armed Forces (MAF) family and was a great loss for the country.
He also extended condolences to the families of those who perished and prayed for them to be given strength in facing the tragedy.
“I have been informed that an immediate investigation will be conducted by the Ministry of Defence, especially RMN, to determine the cause of the accident.
“Praying that the souls of all those who perished are showered with mercy and forgiven of all their sins. May God love them and grant them a special place and position by His side,” said Anwar.
It is learnt that the helicopters were making a fly-past when rehearsing for a parade to be held in conjunction with RMN’s 90th anniversary early next month.
