PUTRAJAYA – The interim report on a helicopter collision in Perak that killed several members of the navy on April 23 will be ready in two weeks, said a Malaysian government spokesman.

“The Defence Minister will be making several announcements on the matter,” said Mr Fahmi Fadzil on April 24, adding that the full report will be ready in a month.

Ten people were killed when two helicopters carrying them collided in midair on April 23 at the Royal Malaysian Navy military base in Lumut in the north-western state of Perak, during a fly-past rehearsal for the navy’s fleet open day that was to be held in May.

The victims would be accorded military honours at the 23rd Royal Malay Regiment camp in Ipoh, the Bernama news agency reported.

One of them was Warrant Officer II Muhammad Faisol Tamadun, 36, who had recently travelled to Kedah to celebrate Hari Raya Aidilfitri earlier in April with his older sister, Ms Noryani Tamadun.

Ms Noryani said her brother had come home a week before Aidilfitri and returned to Sabah on the second day of the festival to report for duty.

“He did say he was taking part in rehearsals for the 90th Royal Malaysian Navy Anniversary Parade at the Lumut naval base in Perak and asked me and (our) family to go see it, but I said it was too far,” she said.

Little did she know that it would be the last time she would see her youngest brother.

“I was shocked when this morning at 10.15am, just home from selling nasi lemak, my sister who works in Pahang called to inform me that my youngest brother had died in a helicopter accident,” Ms Noryani said at her home in Kampung Tanjung on April 23.

She said Mr Faisol had been keen on a career in the navy since his school days and that he leaves behind a wife and two daughters aged six and 10. She added that he would be buried at the Sik Dalam Muslim Cemetery in Kedah.

A friend of Mr Faisol, Mr Zakaria Md Disa, wrote on Facebook: “Al Fatihah my friend Muhammad Faisol Tamadun. May everything be eased on the other side. Wait for us.”

Al Fatihah is a chapter of the Quran often recited for those who have died.

In Penang, the family of the late Commander Muhammad Firdaus Ramli mourned the loss of its eldest son.

Mr Firdaus was the commanding officer of Squadron 503 and had flown in an AgustaWestland AW-139 helicopter, which collided with a Eurocopter Fennec during the rehearsal.

His younger sister Syahira said her parents left for the naval base in Lumut as soon as they learnt about the tragedy.

She described her 44-year-old brother, who was the eldest of seven siblings, as a very kind person. She said he was based in Kota Kinabalu and had been in Lumut for training since the beginning of April.

Mr Firdaus leaves behind a wife and a four-year-old son in Kota Kinabalu.

The news of the death of Petty Officer Noor Rahiza Anuar, who was among the 10 dead, left her close friend trembling.

“I don’t know how to describe my feelings. I just sat down and started quivering,” said Ms Haslinda Hashim in a post on Facebook.

Ms Haslinda, who had been a schoolmate of Ms Noor Rahiza, said she had initially seen a photo of her friend being circulated, but her name was not on the list of victims.

However, she said Ms Noor Rahiza’s family later confirmed the news of her death.

Ms Noor Rahiza was one of three women among the victims, who also included Senior Seaman Joanna Felicia Rohna.

A friend of Ms Joanna, Ms Monica Apoi, said: “Imagine if you often see her uploading photos with her children (on Facebook). Then all of a sudden, she is a victim in a helicopter crash.”

Ms Monica added in her post, which included a photograph of Ms Joanna in military fatigues sitting in a helicopter with two other women who were also in uniform: “Pity her children who are still young and will miss the love of their mother.”

Ms Joanna’s two younger sisters, Honey Vivianne Francis, 16, and Diyanne Yanz Love, 14, were in school when they heard the news about their sister, whom they had last seen during Gawai, a festival celebrated by the Dayak people in Sarawak.

“Whenever she came home, she would take us out, joke, and laugh with us. She would also get us to cook with her,” said Diyanne.

“Before she went back to Perak, she told us to look after our grandparents, our parents and ourselves.” THE STAR/ASIA NEWS NETWORK