Two Malaysian navy helicopters crashed in midair and crashed to the ground, killing ten of the crew members.
The two aircraft collided on Tuesday morning while participating in aerial training in northern Lumut, the navy’s headquarters, according to a statement from the Royal Malaysian Navy.
Agusta Westland AW139 Maritime Operations Helicopter (HOM) Malaysian Navy helicopters crashed close to the complex’s elevated stadium seating, while a Eurocopter Fennec crashed close to a swimming pool.
Two Navy Choppers Collided during training in Malaysia, 10 Killed
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According to the navy, there were three crew members aboard the Eurocopter and seven on the Agusta. At around 9.30 a.m. (01:30 GMT), all were pronounced deceased at the scene of the collision.
According to the statement, the navy “will establish an investigation board to determine the cause of the incident.”
Anwar Ibrahim, the prime minister, called the incident a “heart-wrenching tragedy” and said an inquiry will be conducted.
Social media users posted videos of multiple helicopters circling over a stadium while troops were arranged in formation below.
Before both helicopters fall to the ground, it looks like one of them strikes the other’s tail rotor.
The helicopter crews were rehearsing for the Navy Day festivities, which begin on May 3rd, next week.
Over the last ten years, there have been several helicopter crashes in Malaysia.
In 2015, Jamaluddin Jarjis, a former government minister and Malaysia’s ambassador to the US, was one among five individuals slain when their chopper crashed into a jungle in northern Selangor state.
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Six people lost their lives in a helicopter disaster that occurred in the Borneo state of Sarawak the following year. Noriah Kasnon, the former deputy minister of plantation industries and commodities, was among the deceased.
2020 saw the collision of two helicopters that resulted in an accident east of Kuala Lumpur, killing two of them.
Ten people lost their lives when a private plane crashed onto a highway in the west of the city in August of last year. Two on the ground and a top lawmaker from the central state of Pahang’s aide were among the fatalities.