During a rehearsal for the navy’s 90th anniversary at a naval base in northern Perak state, about 100 miles from the capital Kuala Lumpur, a horrific mid-air collision occurred between two military helicopters. The incident, involving an AW139 maritime operations helicopter with seven crew members and a navy lightweight Fennec with three crew members, unfolded at 9.30am local time.
Footage captured the moment the main rotar blade of one of the helicopters struck the tall rotor of the other. Parts of both choppers plummeted to the ground as they lost power and crashed.
Fire and rescue services arrived promptly to extinguish the flames. However, the crew could not be saved, and all 10 were pronounced dead at the scene. The remains have been sent to a hospital for identification.
The navy has launched an investigation to determine the cause of the accident. All the crew members who lost their lives in the tragedy were under the age of 40.
This developing news story will be updated with more information as it becomes available. Stay tuned for further updates.
