(LibertySons.org) – When people think of military deaths, they often assume someone has died on a battlefield. That’s not always the case. Training exercises can be very dangerous. In fact, more American service members have died during training exercises over the last decade than in combat. Across the world, another country is now dealing with a devastating accident involving its military.
On Tuesday, April 23, two Malaysian helicopters collided during a rehearsal for a celebration that’s scheduled for Saturday. The crash happened at the Lumut naval base in Perak and killed 10 people. According to authorities, the choppers were flying in formation with other aircraft to practice for a naval parade to celebrate the 90th anniversary of the Royal Malaysian Navy.
A video of the incident circulated on social media. It showed multiple helicopters flying together in a low formation. Suddenly, one of them veered sideways and clipped the rotor of another helicopter. The accident caused both aircraft to plummet toward the ground and crash. Law enforcement confirmed the authenticity of the video.
Reuters reported the Royal Malaysian Navy released a short statement confirming all of the victims died at the scene of the accident. The remains were sent to the naval base for identification.
Defence Minister Mohamed Khaled Nordin told reporters that all of the victims were under the age of 40.
The accident in Malaysia wasn’t the only air crash to make headlines on Tuesday. In Fairbanks, Alaska, a Douglas C-54 aircraft crashed into the Tanana River shortly after takeoff. The Alaska Department of Public Safety stated that the plane slid into a hill on the riverbank and caught on fire.
The flight was operated by Alaska Air Fuel, and two people were onboard at the time of the accident. Authorities said neither of them survived. After the accident, Alaska State troopers asked the public to stay away from the site of the crash because of safety concerns. Fuel spilled onto the ground and the ice after the plane went down. The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) deployed agents to the crash site, as is typical with any major accident. The investigation into what went wrong is ongoing.
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