Ten dead after a helicopter collision – in the sky

Two military helicopters collided over an air base in Malaysia on Monday. None of the passengers survived the accident.

The accident occurred during training for the Malaysian Navy's 90th anniversary, which is celebrated in May. Videos The incident, which was being circulated on social media, revealed that several helicopters carried out a maneuver. Then two AgustaWestland AW139 aircraft and a Eurocopter Fennec collided. Both cars fell to the ground almost immediately.

The AW139 crashed near the entrance to the stadium at Lumut Air Base, while the plane fell into the swimming pool at the sports complex. There were seven people on board the AgustaWestland helicopter, while three people were on board the other plane. “Medical officials confirmed that the ten victims had died,” said Suhaimi Mohamed Suhail, operations commander at the fire department. An investigation has been opened into the cause of the accident.

Japan

This news comes just days after a fatal accident in Japan that also involved two helicopters. A Sikorsky SH-60K Seahawks of the Japanese Navy (JMSDF) crashed over the sea during a night training flight. The JMSDF found two flight data recorders, a dead soldier, and pieces of both Seahawks. The search is still ongoing for seven other passengers. The Japanese Ministry of Defense assumes that a collision occurred between the two helicopters. The accident occurred off the southern coast of central Japan, about six hundred kilometers south of Tokyo.