During a rehearsal for an upcoming celebration event of the Royal Malaysian Navy, two helicopters belonging to the Malaysian Navy collided mid-air.
Reports from Malaysian news outlets indicate that both helicopters, each carrying a crew of at least 10 members, were involved in the collision near the town of Lumut, which is home to a navy base. Tragically, local media sources suggest there are no survivors.
Footage circulating on social media captured the moment of impact, revealing that one helicopter’s rotor clipped the other, leading to the crash. The aftermath saw one helicopter landing on a nearby running track while the other plunged into a nearby swimming pool.
BREAKING: 🇲🇾 2 military helicopters crash after mid-air collision in Malaysia, killing all 10 people on board pic.twitter.com/ckiEaqnd4R
— Megatron (@Megatron_ron) April 23, 2024
According to statements from the Perak fire and rescue department, 10 fatalities have been confirmed in the Lumut area following the incident. The department received an emergency call at 9:50 am regarding the helicopter incident at the Lumut Royal Malaysian Navy stadium in Manjung, Perak, and efforts are underway to recover the bodies.
The Royal Malaysian Navy, in their released statement, identified the helicopters involved as models HOM (M503-3) and Fennec (M502-6), stating that the collision occurred at 9:32 am local time during the rehearsal for the Navy’s 90th-anniversary event, scheduled from May 3 to 5.
They further revealed that seven individuals were aboard the HOM (M503-3) helicopter, with the remaining three on the Fennec (M502-6). All victims were pronounced dead at the scene and have been transported to the Lumut Royal Malaysian Navy Base military hospital for identification purposes.
The Navy has announced the establishment of a probe panel to investigate the incident.
