BT Team
BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN
Saturday, July 21, 2012
TEN out of 14 military personnel were reported to have been killed in a tragic helicopter accident in the Belait area that occurred a day before the start of the Ramadhan fasting month.
The accident prompted the attention of His Majesty, the Sultan and Yang Di-Pertuan of Brunei Darussalam and the Supreme Commander of the Royal Brunei Armed Forces and Minister of Defence.
Following
the accident, His Majesty went personally to oversee the shifting of
the victims by air to the Royal Brunei Air Force Base from the crash
site, where family members of those involved in the accident had
gathered to receive news about their loved ones.
The Brunei Times was turned away from the air base.
Also present at the Royal Brunei Air Force Base was His Royal Highness, Second Lt Prince 'Abdul Mateen. His Majesty, later, at around 10.24pm, visited two of the survivours who had been brought to the Raja IsteriPgAnakSaleha (RIPAS) Hospital late yesterday evening.
The monarch had also met with the families of the victims at both the air base and the hospital.
Two
more, as of press time, remain unaccounted for, according to a
statement issued by the Office of His Majesty, the Sultan and Yang Di-Pertuan of Brunei Darussalam at 12.18pm.
The Ministry of Defence reported that a Bell 212 Helicopter, carrying 14 passengers was involved in an accident in the Belait area yesterday afternoon.
"Fatalities
and injuries were reported," stated the press statement from MinDef,
noting that three crew of the helicopter and 11 officer cadets were
involved.
MinDef stated that the military helicopter was carrying the officer cadets back to Bandar Seri Begawan after a training session.
It
stated that the list of fatalities was yet to be confirmed. A list of
supposed victims had been circulating in the social media, but MinDef
representatives declined to comment on its authenticity. At 7pm, around
the RIPAS Accident and Emergency (A & E) Department, medical staff
were seen on standby and the Minister of Health, Yang Berhormat Pehin
Orang Kaya Johan Pahlawan Dato Seri Setia Hj Adanan Hj Begawan Pehin
Siraja Khatib Dato Seri Setia Hj Mohd Yusof as well as senior officials
from Ministry of Health (MoH) and one official from Ministry of Defence
(MinDef) were seen on site. Closer to 8pm, two visitors, one male and
one female, arrived at the A&E (accident and emergency) and they
were approached by an acquaintance. The woman fainted suddenly and
medical officials immediately acted and rushed her to a restricted room
for patients.
It is unclear if the incident was related.
Outside,
passer-by's and visitors to the hospital were seen observing the scene
and discussing with each other what was happening. Later, more people
arrived and some were seen crying. About a few minutes before 8.30pm,
the first ambulance carrying a victim arrived to the A&E and
immediately rushed to the emergency.
Over time, more people
arrived and started consoling each other as they waited outside for more
updates while inside the A & E, it was restricted to family members
and officials. Past 8.40pm, another ambulance carrying the second
victim arrived, pushing medical officers into action.
Three military officers in their uniform were seen standing by the parked ambulance.
Deputy
CEO of RIPAS; Dr Hjh Norehan bte Hj Johari, said that two of those
involved in the incident were being treated at RIPAS, confirming that
they were both stable. At the time, she said that one was in Ward 10
(general ward) and another in the operating theatre. She declined to
comment further.
A family of one of the surviving victims,
waiting patiently outside the X-Ray department at the hospital said that
this was an upsetting incident, especially so close to the first day of
Ramadhan.
They shared that they also felt for the families of
the other victims, especially those who were uncertain of the fate of
their loved ones.
Prayers for the deceased were held at the
Surau of the Bolkiah Garrison. After the prayers, the bodies of the
victims were carried away one by one by separate hearses and
ambulances.— (Ubai, Fitri, Jin, Sarah, Mun, Diyana)
The Brunei Times
