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 Isteri Pg Anak Saleha (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
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