10 crew members have died after two Royal Malaysian Navy (Tentera Laut Diraja Malaysia / TLDM) helicopters collided mid-air.
The accident occurred at the TLDM stadium in Lumut, Perak, during a flypast rehearsal for the TLDM 90th Anniversary Fleet Open Day scheduled in May 2024.
Footage of the incident, which was uploaded to Facebook and X, showed at least seven helicopters flying out of a forested area in different directions. At one point, two helicopters can be seen flying close to one another, until one clips the rotors of the other.
Both helicopters can be seen spiraling to the ground after the collision.
One of the helicopters, an Agusta Westland AW139 Maritime Operations Helicopter (HOM), crashed onto the steps of the stadium, while the second, a Eurocopter Fennec, plummeted to the ground near a swimming pool.
The Royal Malaysian Navy confirmed in a press statement that seven TLDM members were aboard the Agusta Westland, while three members were on the Fennec chopper.
“TLDM extends its condolences to the families of the victims involved,” the Royal Malaysian Navy said, adding that the funeral of the crew members killed will be carried out in “naval tradition”.
Malaysian Defense Minister Mohamed Khaled Nordin told CNN that all of the crew members killed were below the age of 40, and efforts are underway to investigate the cause of the accident.