Copter tragedy: Interim report to be ready next week

MELAKA: The interim report on a helicopter crash in Perak that killed 10 navy personnel on April 23 is expected to be ready next week.

Defence Minister Datuk Seri Mohamed Khaled Nordin said the investigation committee that was established was preparing the interim report and that the investigation would take 30 days.

"... we do not want to make any assumptions and speculations (about the crash). God willing, we will know the truth (when the report is ready)," he said when visiting the Terendak Camp in Sungai Udang here on Thursday (May 2).

Meanwhile, Mohamed Khaled said the construction of the new building of the Terendak Camp Military Hospital would begin this July and is expected to be completed in 2028.

He said the existing hospital building which is over 60 years old will be demolished to make way for the construction of the new hospital with a total cost of RM325mil.

"Initially the government decided to upgrade and build an additional building but after an in-depth structural study, it was found that it would be better to build a new hospital," he said.

He said that throughout the construction process of the 150-bed hospital, health services at Kem Terendak were expected to be affected because some services had to be moved to temporary buildings and it would cause discomfort for patients receiving treatment during the four-year period. - Bernama