Tragedy Strikes Malaysia: 10 crew members dead in helicopter collision preparing for air show

Ten crew members tragically lost their lives in a collision involving two helicopters in Malaysia. This accident occurred while the helicopters were prepared for an air show at Lumut Naval Base.

The Royal Malaysian Navy announced that the collision happened on Tuesday morning, April 22, during an aerial training session near Lumut in the north, where the navy's main headquarters are situated.

One helicopter, an Agusta Westland AW139 Maritime Operations Helicopter (HOM), went down near a stadium, while the other, a Eurocopter Fennec, crashed close to a swimming pool.

According to the navy, the Agusta was carrying seven crew members and the Eurocopter three, all of whom sadly died at the crash sites, which took place around 9:30 PM local time.

The navy has vowed to "establish an investigative committee" to uncover the cause of this devastating incident, as stated in their announcement.

Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim has expressed profound sorrow over the tragedy and assured that a thorough investigation will be undertaken.

Videos circulating on social media depict multiple helicopters flying above the stadium. At one point, two of these helicopters dangerously close in on each other before colliding and plummeting to the ground.

The past decade has seen several helicopter disasters in Malaysia. In 2015, Jamaluddin Jarjis, the then Malaysian ambassador to the United States and a former government minister, was among five individuals who perished in a helicopter crash in Selangor's jungle.

Then, in the following year, six people lost their lives in a helicopter crash in the state of Sarawak on Borneo. Among the deceased was Noriah Kasnon, the Deputy Minister for Plantation Industries and Commodities at the time.

In 2020, two fatalities were recorded following the collision and crash of two helicopters east of Kuala Lumpur.