BUTTERWORTH — A Royal Malaysian Air Force serviceman was killed and another injured when a Hawk 108 aircraft crashed at the Butterworth Air Force Base on Tuesday (Nov 16) night.

Malaysian Defence Minister Hishammuddin Hussein confirmed the incident on his Facebook page, while ordering a thorough probe on what happened.

He also said that a second airman sustained injuries in the incident that occurred at about 10.07pm at the runway within the base.

“I just received a call from Air Force Chief General Tan Sri Ackbal Abdul Samad informing me of the incident involving the Hawk 108 aircraft that crashed in Butterworth. One airman was killed; another was injured,” Mr Hishammuddin said in a Facebook post late on Tuesday night.

“The RMAF has been ordered to submit a detailed report and investigate the cause of the accident immediately,” he added, before extending his condolences to the family of the airman who was killed.

“The Ministry of Defence has been ordered to provide all the necessary assistance to the families of the two airmen involved.”

The RMAF had issued a brief statement at 11.23pm confirming the incident, saying that it wanted to dispel any speculation over it.

“The RMAF is taking immediate action now and will reveal the latest development with regards to the incident soon,” it read.

The RMAF advised the public to refrain from spreading any fake news or speculation about the incident. AGENCIES