Malaysians mourn helicopter crash victims, some demand top navy officers resign

Petty officer Nor Rahiza Anuar was supposed to celebrate a special Eid gathering with her family this Friday. Able Seaman Joanna Felicia Rohna last spoke to her younger sister on Saturday, asking her to take care of their grandparents and eat well.

A viral video of the horrific moment shows the two helicopters appearing to clip each other’s rotor blades and swiftly spinning out of control towards the ground where plumes of smoke spew upwards on impact.

The incident has shocked Malaysians and raised questions about the Malaysian military’s preparedness, assets and training given to its staff.

“The navy will form an investigative board [on the crash], assisted by the air force and the director general of technical airworthiness,” Defence Minister Khaled Nordin told a news conference on Tuesday.

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10 killed in mid-air helicopter collision at Malaysia naval base

Khaled also gave more details about the two helicopters involved in the tragedy. The Eurocopter Fennec lightweight helicopter started service in 2003 while the Maritime Operations Helicopter (HOM) built by Italy’s Leonardo, which carried seven of the victims, was delivered to the navy in 2021, he said.

Malaysians were united in mourning on Wednesday, posting numerous messages hailing the victims as heroes and extending condolences to their grieving families.

Some called for heads to roll among the navy’s top brass for alleged poor planning as the fly-past formation included helicopters of different models operated by separate units.

“It really shows poor preflight briefing is done especially when crew’s & helicopter type are not from the same unit. Those in charge of this kind [of] aerial display needs [sic] to be taken to task including the naval commander,” read a