Ten people were killed on Tuesday when two helicopters collided mid-air during a rehearsal for a Royal Malaysian Navy parade, the navy said in a statement.
All 10 were crew members aboard the aircraft involved in the accident, which occurred at the Lumut naval base in the western state of Perak at 9.32am local time Tuesday, the navy said.
“All victims were confirmed dead at the scene and sent to the Lumut army base hospital for identification,” the navy said.
One of the choppers’ rotors clips another before both aircraft crash to the ground, in a video circulating on local social media. Local police confirmed the footage was genuine.
The navy said it would investigate the cause of the collision.
Defence Minister Mohamed Khaled Nordin said the aircraft — a maritime operations helicopter and a Fennec military chopper — were rehearsing for a parade celebrating the 90th anniversary of the Royal Malaysian Navy, set to be held on Saturday.
Efforts were underway to verify the identities of the crew members killed, all of whom were below the age of 40, he told reporters.
More to come…