Ten crew members were killed in a collision between two Malaysian Navy helicopters on Tuesday. The accident happened during a training in the west of the Malaysian peninsula, the emergency services announced.
“The two helicopters collided during a training flight. The death of the 10 victims has been confirmed by military doctors,” Suhaimy Mohamad Suhail, an emergency services official, said in a statement.
Videos of the accident published online show seven helicopters flying low in formation over a stadium at the Lumut naval base, in the western state of Perak. The flight was part of a rehearsal for a Navy event scheduled for May. As two helicopters left formation and turned to the right, one of them can be seen hitting the tail rotor of the other. The two planes spun around and crashed.
The two helicopters involved are a Eurocopter AS555SN Fennec and an AgustaWestland AW139.
Photos show rescuers standing near the badly damaged Eurocopter at the naval base stadium. The AgustaWestland crashed in the base’s swimming pool area.
Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim expressed his condolences to the relatives. According to the Prime Minister, the Ministry of Defense will conduct an investigation into the cause of the accident.
