KUALA LUMPUR: A 'doa selamat' will be organised instead of the planned 90th Navy Day anniversary celebrations following the helicopter crash in Lumut, Perak, this morning.
This was confirmed by Defence Minister Datuk Seri Khaled Nordin at a press conference at the Royal Malaysian Navy (RMN) base in Lumut.
"The celebration will be cancelled and replaced by a doa selamat and tahlil.
"This is also decreed by the sultan of Selangor, who is RMN's honorary captain," he said.
Earlier today, two armed forces helicopters, a 503-3 Maritime Operations Helicopter and a Fennec M502-6, crashed following a mid-air collision over the naval base in Lumut.
All 10 crew members on board the helicopters died and would be brought to Ipoh Hospital for post-mortem.
The helicopters collided during a mid-air manoeuvre in a flypast training for the RMN's 90th anniversary celebration.
The 503-3 Maritime Operations Helicopter crashed at the steps of the Navy Stadium, while the Fennec M502-6 crashed near the pool of the Navy Sports Complex.
The RMN has established an investigation board to probe the incident.