The collision took place during a rehearsal before a Navy event scheduled for May.
A collision between two Malaysian navy helicopters caused the death of ten crew members on Tuesday April 22, during training in the west of the Malaysian peninsula, emergency services announced.
“The two helicopters collided during flight training. The death of the 10 victims was confirmed by military doctors,” said Suhaimy Mohamad Suhail, an official with the fire and rescue service, in a statement.
As reported by the BBCthe accident took place around 9:30 a.m. local time, and an investigation was opened to determine the causes of the collision.
Repetition
Videos of the accident posted online show seven helicopters flying low in formation above the stadium at the Lumut naval base in the western state of Perak during a rehearsal ahead of a planned navy event in May.
When two of the helicopters broke away from the formation, and turned right, one of them can be seen hitting the tail rotor of the other.
The two helicopters involved are a Eurocopter AS555SN Fennec and an AgustaWestland AW139, emergency services said.
Photos taken from the accident scene show rescue workers surrounding the badly damaged Eurocopter on the runway at the naval base stadium as well as various debris. The AgustaWestland crashed in the base’s swimming pool area.
“The nation mourns after this heartbreaking tragedy for the heart and soul,” wrote Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim in a message of condolences addressed to the families of the victims.