10 dead as two Royal Malaysian Navy helicopters collide mid-air, crash

KUALA LUMPUR: As many as ten people are confirmed dead after two Malaysian military helicopters collided mid-air and crashed in Lumut.

The two helicopters that were involved in the crash belonged to the Royal Malaysian Navy.

“The department was alerted to an emergency call at 9.50am regarding a helicopter incident at the Lumut Royal Malaysian Navy stadium in Manjung, Perak,” the Perak fire and rescue department informed in a statement.

A widely circulated 21-second video on social media captures the moment when one helicopter collides with the tail of another in mid-air, resulting in both aircraft plummeting to the ground.

Fragments of the helicopters were observed soaring through the air and landing in close proximity to an open field where naval personnel had gathered.

The accident is believed to have taken place during a rehearsal session for the Navy’s forthcoming 90th-anniversary commemoration.

In an official statement, the Royal Malaysian Navy verified that two helicopters, specifically identified as models HOM (M503-3) and Fennec (M502-6), collided mid-air at 9:32 am, leading to their subsequent crash.

According to the Navy, a total of 10 individuals were involved in the incident, with seven occupants aboard the HOM (M503-3) helicopter and the remaining three on the Fennec (M502-6).

“All individuals involved were pronounced deceased at the accident site and were subsequently transported to the Lumut Royal Malaysian Navy Base military hospital for identification purposes,” the statement confirmed.

The Royal Malaysian Navy committed to establishing an investigative board to ascertain the cause of the tragic incident.

“We kindly urge the public to refrain from disseminating videos of the incident out of respect for the affected families' sensitivities and to facilitate the investigation process,” the Navy emphasized.