SINGAPORE: All 21 children of the 10 naval personnel killed in Malaysia’s twin helicopter crash on Tuesday ( Apr 23 ) will receive RM 1, 000 ( US$ 210 ) each, on top of other education support, said Minister of Higher Education Zambry Abdul Kadir.
After visiting one victim’s home on Wednesday night, Dr. Zambry also stated that any university students who are under the age of 18 will not be required to pay tuition until their studies are overdue.
Dr Zambry noted that only one of the patients ‘ children, Ms Nurul , Shahfiqah, the 21- yr- older daughter of Warrant Officer Mohd Shahrizan Mohd Termizi, who is a pupil at Universiti Malaysia Kelantan ( UMK), was already studying at college.  ,
According to the Malay Mail, he added that Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim approved the decision and that it was taken to lessen the financial strain on the victims ‘ families.  ,
According to Dr. Zambry, who refers to the national savings plan for higher education, “our data shows that there are 21 kids who are still in school and have been identified as receiving free SSPN transactions.”  ,
” I believe that the Defence Ministry does have plans for the children, but having an SSPN consideration will help contributions, including from different companies. We will update the actual number of affected children ( by the accident )”, the minister added.
According to a government spokesman, an interim report into the Perak helicopter crash that left 10 servicemen dead will also be ready in two weeks.  ,
At a cabinet meeting on Wednesday, Mr. Fahmi Fadzil claimed that Mohamed Khaled Nordin, the nation’s defense minister, had pledged to deliver the report and that the full report would be ready in a month.  ,
” The Defence Minister will be making several announcements on the matter”, added Mr Fahmi Fadzil, quoted in local media.
Mr Khaled had mentioned the interim report the day before at the defence ministry’s Hari Raya celebrations. However, at that point, he did not specify a timeline, assuring reporters at the event that he and his team would try to release the report” as soon as possible”.
” We rarely have such incidents ( helicopter crashes )”, he added, cited in local media.  ,
According to Bernama news agency, the victims will receive military honors at the 23rd Royal Malay Regiment camp in Ipoh.  ,
The Royal Malaysian Navy’s HOM and Fennec helicopters collided at 9.32am, roughly half an hour after taking off from their Lumut airbase, on April 23.
The Fennec helicopter crashed into a pool, and the HOM helicopter crashed on stadium steps. The navy confirmed that all victims had been confirmed dead at the scene.  ,
According to a statement from the defense minister, the helicopters were rehearsing together for the 90th Navy Day parade while they were taking part in rehearsals for the occasion.
At a press conference on April 23, Mr. Khaled claimed that none of the 10 navy personnel were over 40 years old, adding that the youngest was 26 and the oldest was in his 40s.
The HOM helicopter carried four male crew members, including Commander Firdaus Ramli, commanding officer of the 503 squadron, and three female passengers.
The Fennec helicopter carried three male crew members, including Commander Muhamad Amir Mohamad, commanding officer of the 502 squadron.
A navy service member was also hit by debris and suffered a minor injury when the Fennec helicopter crashed into, according to Mr. Khaled, who was swimming in the pool at the time.