‘Soul-Wrenching Tragedy’- Malaysia’s Prime Minister Mourns As Ten Die In Navy Helicopter Crash
Ten crew members on board Eurocopter AS555SN Fennec lightweight and AW139 maritime operation helicopter have been confirmed dead on Tuesday following a mid-air collision during a parade rehearsal.
The two aircraft were rehearsing for a parade celebrating the 90th anniversary of the Royal Malaysian Navy, to be held on Saturday.
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On board the helicopter Fennec, were three crew members. In contrast, the AW139 maritime operation helicopter had seven people on board and crashed at the Lumut naval base in the western state of Perak at 9.32 am.
The mid-air rehearsal had several helicopters flying in formation when one of the aircraft’s rotors clipped another leading to the crash.
AW139 crashed at a sports complex at the naval base, while the Fennec hit a nearby swimming pool.
Confirming the number of casualties, the Navy in a statement said, “All victims were confirmed dead at the scene and sent to the Lumut Naval Base military hospital for identification.
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“The helicopters involved were a Eurocopter AS555SN Fennec lightweight and an AW139 maritime operation helicopter”.
The Defence minister, Mohamed Khaled Nordin, noted that the victims were below the age of 40.
In his condolence to the affected families, Malaysia’s Prime minister, Anwar Ibrahim, assured of a thorough investigation to ascertain the cause of the crash.
“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.
“The nation mourns the heart-wrenching and soul-wrenching tragedy” Ibrahims’ condolences read.
