KUALA LUMPUR, April 23 — The two helicopters which collided and crashed at the Royal Malaysian Navy (RMN) Base were undergoing a rehearsal for the third time in conjunction with the RMN Fleet Open Day celebration scheduled for Saturday (April 27).
Defence Minister Datuk Seri Mohamed Khaled Nordin said the incident resulted in the death of 10 RMN members based in Lumut, Perak, and Kota Kinabalu, Sabah.
RMN will establish an Investigation Board to identify the cause of the incident involving the RMN helicopters.
“I hope the public will not disseminate the video of the incident in respect of the sensitivity of the victims’ families and not to affect the investigation process,” he told the press during the ministry’s Hari Raya Aidilfitri Celebration at Kementah Camp today.
The identities of some victims involved have been determined as under 40 years old and the bodies have been sent to the Lumut Military Hospital for further processing.
Khaled added there were no other rehearsal victims involved in the incident because the areas where the helicopters crashed were in a swimming pool area and an empty stadium field.
Curently, the families of the victims have been informed about the incident, and the ministry will take those who are at RMAF Base in Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, to Lumut, Perak, to assist with identification.
“On behalf of the Defence Ministry and myself, we express our condolences to the families of the victims and our sadness over this incident during the rehearsal for the event,” said Khaled, who will go to the scene of the incident to review the situation and get a full report on the incident.
RMN today confirmed that 10 of its members died in an incident at 9.32am involving seven crew of the Maritime Operations Helicopter (HOM-AW139) and three RMN Fennec crew.
— Bernama
