10 dead as Malaysian navy helicopters collide mid-air during training

Two Malaysian military helicopters collided mid-air and crashed, killing all 10 crew members onboard.

The incident happed early Tuesday near the naval base in Lumut, some 200 kilometres north-west of Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia’s capital city.

Mohamed Nordin, defence minister, said the aircraft — a maritime operations helicopter and a Fennec military chopper — were rehearsing for a parade celebrating the 90th anniversary of the Royal Malaysian Navy, due to be held on Saturday.

One of the helicopters which was said to be carrying seven crew members onboard crashed in a stadium, while the other which had three passengers spiralled down near a swimming pool.

Videos circulating on social media showed several helicopters flying in formation, when one of the choppers’ rotor clipped another before both aircraft crashed into the ground.

Photos of the crash showed the completely destroyed remains of the aircraft.

Nordin said efforts are underway to verify the identities of the crew members killed, all of whom were below the age of 40.

Anwar Ibrahim, Malaysia’s prime minister, described the tragedy as “heart-wrenching” and “a great loss for the country”.

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“Condolences to all the families of the victims and prayers for strength to face this calamity,” Ibrahim added.

The Royal Malaysian Navy said it would establish a committee to investigate the cause of the incident