Interim report out in a fortnight

PUTRAJAYA: An interim report on the helicopter collision that killed 10 people will be ready in two weeks’ time, says government spokesman Fahmi Fadzil.

He said this was the commitment given by the Defence Minister to the Cabinet at its weekly meeting yesterday.

The full report on the incident would be ready in a month, he added.

“The Cabinet meeting started with a discussion on the incident.

“The Prime Minister has extended his condolences to families of the victims,” he told reporters here yesterday.

Fahmi said the Cabinet was also updated on aid to be extended to the bereaved families.

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“The Defence Minister will be making several announcements on assistance that the Cabinet has agreed on for the families,” he added.

Ten Navy personnel, based in Lumut and Kota Kinabalu, were killed when two helicopters collided mid-air over the Lumut naval base.

The two helicopters involved were a Eurocopter AS555SN Fennec and an Augusta-Westland AW-139, with the tail numbers M502-6 and HOM M503-3.

The HOM crashed on the stairs of a stadium at the base while the Fennec helicopter crashed into the swimming pool in the sports complex.

The two aircraft had set off earlier from the Sitiawan field at 9.30am and crashed during a rehearsal for a flyover for the 90th Naval Day celebration, which has since been cancelled.

Meanwhile in IPOH, the Perak government will assess the form of assistance to be extended to three victims from the state who, along with seven others, perished in the mid-air collision.

State human resources, health, national integration and Indian community affairs committee chairman A. Sivanesan said the matter would be discussed in the state executive council meeting next week.

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“This is a very tragic incident. The state government will always stand by the families of the three victims,” he said when met at the Hospital Raja Permaisuri Bainun Forensic Department, Bernama reported.

The three victims from Perak are Lt Sivasutan Thanjappan, 31, Warrant Officer II Mohd Shahrizan Mohd Termizi, and Warrant Officer II Norfarahimi Saedy, both 41.

Lt Sivasutan leaves behind a wife while Mohd Shahrizan is survived by his wife and three children, aged 15 to 21.

Norfarahimi, 41, leaves behind a husband and three children, aged nine to 16.

In KOTA BARU, the Kelantan government said it would, through the state sports council, give out welfare aid of RM2,000 to the state’s judo exponents Nur Qistana Auni Mohd Azinor and her sister Nur Qistina Awliya.

State youth, sports, non-governmental organisation and community unity committee chairman Zamakhshari Muhamad said the aid would be given following the death of their mother Petty Officer Noor Rahiza Anuar, who was among those who perished in the crash.