Two Malaysian navy helicopters collided mid-air during a rehearsal for a military parade, resulting in the deaths of all 10 crew members on board.
Footage from local media showed one helicopter clipping the rotor of the other before both helicopters crashed to the ground in Lumut, Malaysia, home to a Royal Malaysian Navy base.
The incident occurred at 09:30 local time (02:30 BST), with no survivors reported. The Royal Malaysian Navy confirmed that all victims were deceased and their remains were taken to the Lumut Military Hospital for identification.
An investigation committee will be formed to determine the cause of the collision.
One helicopter, a HOM M503-3 with seven occupants, crashed onto a running track, while the other, a Fennec M502-6 carrying three victims, crashed into a nearby swimming pool.
The state’s fire and rescue department was alerted to the incident at 09:50 local time (01:50 GMT).
Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim expressed condolences to the families of the victims and called it a “heart-wrenching tragedy” on X, formerly known as Twitter.
In a separate incident in March, a Malaysian coast guard helicopter crashed into the sea off Angsa Island during a training flight. The pilot, co-pilot, and two passengers were rescued by fishermen.
Source – bbc.com
