Ten people died after two navy helicopters collided in mid-air during a military rehearsal in Malaysia on Tuesday. One of the choppers clipped the rotor of the other before the two crashed into the ground, video of the incident that has surfaced show.
The incident took place at around 9.32 am Tuesday (0132 GMT) in the Malaysian town of Lumut, home to a navy base.
There are no known survivors, as per a BBC report, which added that one of the helicopters is believed to have crashed onto a running track, while the other crashed into a swimming pool nearby.
All 10 victims were crew members aboard the aircraft involved in the accident, a news agency Reuters report quoted the Malaysian Navy. "All victims were confirmed dead at the scene and sent to the Lumut army base hospital for identification," the navy said.
In another similar incident on Saturday, two Japanese navy helicopters carrying eight crew members crashed in the Pacific Ocean south of Tokyo during nighttime training in a possible collision, leaving one dead while and seven missing.
The two SH-60K choppers from the Maritime Self-Defence Force were carrying four crew each and lost contact late Saturday near Torishima island, about 600 kilometres south of Tokyo, country's Defense Minister Minoru Kihara said.
The cause of the crash was not immediately known, but officials believe the two helicopters “highly likely” collided before crashing into the water, Kihara said.
