10 killed as Naval Helicopters Collide in Malaysia

Ten Malaysian armed forces personnel were killed after two helicopters collided in mid-air on Tuesday in Perak state.

The helicopters were undergoing a flypast rehearsal in preparation for the Royal Malaysian Navy (RMN) Fleet Open Day in May, according to local media.

The Two RMN helicopters—a Fennec and an AW139—crashed following a mid-air collision during a training flight at the Lumut airbase this morning. Pictures of the crashed helicopters revealed that the two involved were M502-03 (Fennec) and M503-3, the AW139 MOH.

The helicopters, along with four others, were flying in formation as part of the air display segment for the Lumut naval base open day scheduled next weekend.

The RMN, in a press release, confirmed the incident which it said occurred at 9:32 am. It stated that all personnel on board the two helicopters—seven in the AW139 and three in the Fennec—were killed in the incident. This is the biggest loss of life for the RMN in a single incident in recent memory.

A board of inquiry has been set up to investigate the incident which claimed the lives of the commanding officers of the 502 and 503 squadrons.