KUALA LUMPUR – Yang Di-Pertuan Agong Sultan Ibrahim has expressed his sadness and conveyed his condolences to the families of the Royal Malaysian Navy (RMN) helicopter crash victims in Lumut, Perak, this morning.
In a Facebook post, Sultan Ibrahim also ordered the Malaysian Armed Forces to conduct a thorough investigation to gather full information on the incident.
“Raja Zarith and I are deeply saddened by the loss of our nation’s heroes in this tragedy. Al-Fatihah and our heartfelt condolences over their demise.
“May they be placed among the believers and martyrs,” His Majesty said.
Separately, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anuar Ibrahim also said a full investigation is being carried out by the Defence Ministry and the navy to determine the cause of the incident.
“I was informed that an investigation was immediately launched by the Defence Ministry, specifically the RMN, to establish the cause of the incident,” he wrote in a social media posting.
Anwar also extended his condolences to the victims’ families, describing the tragedy as a loss for the armed forces and Malaysia.
Meanwhile, Communications Minister Fahmi Fadzil advised media practitioners and the public against circulating video clips of the crash.
“Videos depicting the moments of the incident should not be circulated. Let us show respect to the victims’ families and next of kin. Refrain from spreading it. I also urge media colleagues not to use those clips or footage,” he told reporters at an event at Wisma Bernama today.
Fahmi also conveyed his deepest condolences to the families of the victims who perished in the incident and deferred to the authorities to conduct a detailed investigation.
The navy said all 10 personnel on board both helicopters were killed after they collided and crashed at the Lumut base at 9.32am.
There were seven crew members on the maritime operations helicopter (HOM-AW139) and three on the Fennec helicopter.
It was learned that the helicopters were making a fly-past when rehearsing for a parade to be held in conjunction with the 90th RMN anniversary early next month. – April 23, 2024