Navy helicopters mid-air collision leaves 10 dead in Malaysia

Two Malaysian navy helicopters collided in mid-air during a rehearsal for a naval parade on Tuesday, killing all 10 crew members aboard, the navy said in a statement.

According to a report by Reuters, the incident occurred at the Lumut naval base in the western state of Perak at 9.32 a.m. on Tuesday morning (0132 GMT).

“All victims were confirmed dead at the scene and sent to the Lumut naval base military hospital for identification,” the navy said.

A short video of the incident, which was posted on local media and the internet, according to the report, showed several helicopters flying in formation when one of the choppers’ rotor clipped another before both aircraft crashed into the ground.

Meanwhile, the Malaysian police confirmed the footage was genuine.

#BREAKING: Two Navy Choppers Collided during training in Malaysia, 10 Killed#HelicopterCrash #MalaysiaMadani pic.twitter.com/gHUDzGHsjq

— তন্ময় l T͞anmoy l (@tanmoyofc) April 23, 2024

The navy said it would carry out an investigation into the cause of the accident.

Moreover, defence Minister Mohamed Khaled Nordin told Reuters 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, April 27.

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He added that efforts were underway to “verify the identities of the crew members killed, all of whom were below the age of 40.”