On Tuesday, April 23, two Malaysian Navy helicopters collided in mid-air in Lumu, Malaysia. Ten crew members of the helicopter died. The Perak Fire and Rescue Department confirmed the news. Two helicopters participated in the Royal Malaysian Navy Parade.
How the accident happened?
The video of the accident has gone viral on social media. In that video, it was seen that many helicopters began flying in the sky together. Then one collided with another. Later, both fell to the ground. The accident happened on Tuesday morning in Lumut, Malaysia. All crew on board the two helicopters were killed. The accident happened near the naval base. A helicopter had seven crew members. There were three crew members. After the collision, one fell to the ground while the other fell into the swimming pool.
A naval exercise was underway at the Royal Malaysian Navy Stadium in Lumut on Tuesday. The helicopters collided at 9:32 am local time. In a video that went viral on social media, a helicopter collided with another helicopter. These two helicopters were Fennec M505-6 and HOM M503-3. The first helicopter crashed and landed on the steps of the stadium and the second landed near the swimming pool.
At least 10 people k1lled when two military helicopters collided midair in Lumut, #Malaysia. pic.twitter.com/gR45qrwjVZ
— Arthur Morgan (@ArthurM40330824) April 23, 2024
How did the Malaysian Navy respond to the incident?
The Malaysian Navy issued a statement on the incident, saying the helicopters were rehearsing for a military parade to mark the navy’s 90th anniversary from May 3 to 5.
The death of 10 navy personnel has been confirmed in this incident. The statement also noted that the HOM (M503-3) helicopter was carrying seven people and the remaining three were in the Fennec (M502-6) helicopter. All those killed in the accident were crew members of the helicopter. The bodies were sent to Lumut Air Base Hospital for identification. The administration has decided to form a commission to investigate the incident.
Just last month, a Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA) helicopter crashed near Pulau Angsa in Selangor during a rescue operation. The incident took place on March 5 in which two people including the pilot were killed.
Meanwhile, an army helicopter crashed during an emergency landing in Malaysia last year as well. However, in this incident, all those in the helicopter were saved. Incidentally, a month ago, a helicopter carrying three National Guard members and a Border Patrol agent crashed on the US-Mexico border in Texas. The helicopter crashed in La Grula, a small town in Texas. Three people in the helicopter died in the incident.