Rabiatul Kamit and Wardi Buntar
BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN
BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN
Sunday, July 22, 2012
His Majesty the Sultan and Yang Di-Pertuan of Brunei Darussalam, the
Supreme Commander of the Royal Brunei Armed Forces (RBAF) and the
Minister of Defence (second from right), with His Royal Highness Prince
Haji Al-Muhtadee Billah (right), the Crown Prince and Senior Minister at
the Prime Minister's Office, who is also the General of the RBAF, paid
their last respects to one of the crash victims in Jerudong yesterday.
Picture: Infofoto
TWELVE
military personnel were killed in the tragic helicopter accident on
Friday afternoon at Ulu Belait, according to official counts provided by
the Ministry of Defence (MinDef) following the discovery of the
remaining two soldiers announced yesterday.
The bodies, identified as a Royal Brunei Air Force (RBAirF) male officer and female cadet officer, were reportedly found at an undisclosed site early yesterday morning.
Meanwhile, the two surviving officer cadets are currently in stable condition and receiving treatment at the Raja Isteri Pengiran Anak Saleha (RIPAS) Hospital, said RIPAS Hospital Deputy CEO Hjh Saidah Hj Wahid.
In a message conveyed to The Brunei Times yesterday, Deputy Minister of Defence Dato Paduka Hj Mustappa Hj Sirat expressed his condolences to the families of the victims. Sharing the same sentiments echoed by the grieving nation, he said that he was "very saddened" by the tragedy.
A total of 14 military personnel were onboard the RBAirF Bell 212 helicopter that crashed at Ulu Belait on the eve of the Ramadhan fasting month.
Among those involved in the tragedy were nine officer cadets from the latest batch of trainees at the Officer Cadet School (OCS) in Sg Akar, two crew men and three RBAirF officers, including a pilot.
MinDef stated that the helicopter was transporting the personnel back to Bandar Seri Begawan after a training session.
Inducted in April, the latest batch of officer cadets were barely into their 42-week training when the fatal helicopter accident occured.
So far, there has been no information from MinDef regarding the cause of the accident or the extent of damage to the helicopter.
The names of the 14 military personnel involved have also been withheld by MinDef out of respect to the family members of the victims.
The tragedy prompted swift action from His Majesty the Sultan and Yang Di-Pertuan of Brunei Darussalam, the Supreme Commander of the Royal Brunei Armed Forces (RBAF) and the Minister of Defence, who visited the survivors and commanded the urgent search for the missing persons.
Accompanied by His Royal Highness Second Lieutenant Prince 'Abdul Mateen, the Monarch also consented to pay his last respects to the victims at the Royal Brunei Air Base on Friday.
In April, MinDef confirmed that an RBAirF Bell 212 helicopter was involved in an accident in the vicinity of Bukit Belalong, in Temburong, while peforming a routine task. The pilot and crew member escaped unhurt, while another sustained minor injuries.
Findings of the helicopter incident in April have not been made public. The pilot, when asked for further details, declined to comment.
The Bell 212 helicopter is a two-bladed, twin-engined military transport built by Bell Helicopter, an American rotorcraft manufacturer. The RBAirF is currently equipped with 10 of the Bell 212 helicopters.
In November 2011, MinDef announced that a deal was secured with Sikorsky for the supply of 12 Blackhawk S-70i helicopters to replace the three-decade-old fleet of Bell 212s and BO105s that are nearing the end of their operational lives.
The deal with Sikorsky, also known as the Support Helicopter Project (SH Project), was in line with the need to replace and enhance the RBAirF's rotary wing capacity as identified in the Defence White Paper Update 2007.
The bodies, identified as a Royal Brunei Air Force (RBAirF) male officer and female cadet officer, were reportedly found at an undisclosed site early yesterday morning.
Meanwhile, the two surviving officer cadets are currently in stable condition and receiving treatment at the Raja Isteri Pengiran Anak Saleha (RIPAS) Hospital, said RIPAS Hospital Deputy CEO Hjh Saidah Hj Wahid.
In a message conveyed to The Brunei Times yesterday, Deputy Minister of Defence Dato Paduka Hj Mustappa Hj Sirat expressed his condolences to the families of the victims. Sharing the same sentiments echoed by the grieving nation, he said that he was "very saddened" by the tragedy.
A total of 14 military personnel were onboard the RBAirF Bell 212 helicopter that crashed at Ulu Belait on the eve of the Ramadhan fasting month.
Among those involved in the tragedy were nine officer cadets from the latest batch of trainees at the Officer Cadet School (OCS) in Sg Akar, two crew men and three RBAirF officers, including a pilot.
MinDef stated that the helicopter was transporting the personnel back to Bandar Seri Begawan after a training session.
Inducted in April, the latest batch of officer cadets were barely into their 42-week training when the fatal helicopter accident occured.
So far, there has been no information from MinDef regarding the cause of the accident or the extent of damage to the helicopter.
The names of the 14 military personnel involved have also been withheld by MinDef out of respect to the family members of the victims.
The tragedy prompted swift action from His Majesty the Sultan and Yang Di-Pertuan of Brunei Darussalam, the Supreme Commander of the Royal Brunei Armed Forces (RBAF) and the Minister of Defence, who visited the survivors and commanded the urgent search for the missing persons.
Accompanied by His Royal Highness Second Lieutenant Prince 'Abdul Mateen, the Monarch also consented to pay his last respects to the victims at the Royal Brunei Air Base on Friday.
In April, MinDef confirmed that an RBAirF Bell 212 helicopter was involved in an accident in the vicinity of Bukit Belalong, in Temburong, while peforming a routine task. The pilot and crew member escaped unhurt, while another sustained minor injuries.
Findings of the helicopter incident in April have not been made public. The pilot, when asked for further details, declined to comment.
The Bell 212 helicopter is a two-bladed, twin-engined military transport built by Bell Helicopter, an American rotorcraft manufacturer. The RBAirF is currently equipped with 10 of the Bell 212 helicopters.
In November 2011, MinDef announced that a deal was secured with Sikorsky for the supply of 12 Blackhawk S-70i helicopters to replace the three-decade-old fleet of Bell 212s and BO105s that are nearing the end of their operational lives.
The deal with Sikorsky, also known as the Support Helicopter Project (SH Project), was in line with the need to replace and enhance the RBAirF's rotary wing capacity as identified in the Defence White Paper Update 2007.
The Brunei Times
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