Three Paratroopers Drowned During LIMA Training Session

LANGKAWI, Dec 2 -- Three paratroopers, two of them women, drowned while 11 others were injured during a training session that went awry at the Langkawi International Maritime and Aerospace (LIMA) Exhibition 2007 here today.

A police spokesman said strong winds pushed them away from the intended landing spot in the 10.30am incident.

"Strong gusts of wind pushed them out to sea near the Kuala Muda beach, not far from the Langkawi International Airport," he said.

Meanwhile, Langkawi OCPD Supt Mohamed Ali Jamalludin identified the victims as Siti Hajar Yaakob, 24, Nurul Wahida Yusof, 20, and Raymond Duncan, 25.

He said the bodies were now at the Langkawi Hospital morgue and would be released to the military after post-mortem.

A check showed that the hospital was guarded by military personnel and the morgue was off-limits to members of the media.

Royal Malaysian Air Force (RMAF) public relations officer Major Zulkiflee Abdul Latiff said those involved were among 138 members of the 10th Para Brigade from the Terendak Camp in Melaka who were training for the opening of LIMA 2007 tomorrow.

He said that erratic wind patterns during the exercise caused some of them to stray off course.

"The search and rescue team was mobilised. The rest of the paratroopers are safe," he said in a statement, adding that further updates would be provided from time to time.

Mohamed Ali said that some of the paratroopers became entangled in tree branches near the beach.

The injured, comprising seven women and four men, were being treated at the Langkawi Hospital, he told reporters.

One of them, Suraya Ali, 23, was said to be in critical condition at the hospital's intensive care unit (ICU) while the rest were doing fine.

Mohamed Ali said the paratroopers boarded two RMAF C-130 aircraft at 10.15am and 10.20am for the jump.

"However, between 18 to 20 of them fell into the sea," he said.

He said a rescue operation involving several helicopters and planes was immediately mounted by the Malaysian Armed Forces, Fire and Rescue Department, Marine Police and the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency.

According to him, Siti Hajar died while she was being winched out of the sea.

-- BERNAMA