KUALA LUMPUR: The Defence Ministry and the Armed Forces have not ruled out the possibility that negligence may have contributed to the grenade explosion during a combat training exercise at the Hobart Camp in Gurun, Kedah, earlier this month.
However, Defence Minister Datuk Seri Mohamed Khaled Nordin said the actual cause of the June 16 incident would only be known once a comprehensive investigation is completed, with the findings expected to be released soon.
He said a special investigation team comprising military ammunition and explosives experts is examining the incident, focusing on the batch of grenades used during the exercise.
"What is important to understand in cases involving grenade explosions is the proper technique when removing the safety pin before throwing it.
"If you are holding the grenade and remove the pin, it will not explode as long as the safety lever is firmly held. However, if the grenade slips from the hand after the pin has been removed, there are about four seconds before it detonates," he told reporters after the launch of the National Defence Strategic Plan (PSPN) and Defence Capacity Blueprint (RTKP) on Thursday (June 25).
Mohamed Khaled explained that once a grenade has been thrown after the pin is removed, it is capable of exploding within a blast radius of about 5m.
"Anyone within that 5m radius where the grenade lands could be injured by the explosion and shrapnel," he said.
He stressed, however, that his explanation referred to the standard procedures involved in grenade-throwing exercises and should not be interpreted as a conclusion on the Hobart Camp incident.
The June 16 tragedy occurred during a grenade-throwing exercise as part of the Royal Engineers Regiment (RAJD) Combat Enhancement Training programme.
The incident claimed the lives of Kpl Norazmi Abu Bakar of the Sixth Battalion Royal Malay Regiment (6 RAMD) and Prebet Siti Khadijah Sungip of the RAJD's First Squadron.
