Two Malaysian soldiers killed by grenade explosion during training exercise in Kedah

Two Malaysian army personnel were killed after a grenade exploded during a training exercise at Hobart Camp in Kedah on Tuesday (June 16) morning.

The incident reportedly took place at about 10.57am during a combat enhancement training exercise.

Corporal Norazmi Abu Bakar of the 6th Battalion, Royal Malay Regiment, and Private Siti Khadijah Sungip of the the 1st Squadron, Royal Army Engineers Regiment, suffered severe injuries.

They were rushed to Sultan Abdul Halim Hospital for treatment but died while being conveyed there. 

In a statement posted on his Facebook page at about 4pm, Malaysia's King, Sultan Ibrahim Sultan Iskandar, who is also Commander-in-Chief of the Malaysian Armed Forces, conveyed his condolences to the families of the two soldiers.

The Malaysian army has also been instructed to carry out a thorough investigation to identify the cause of the accident, the statement read.

Malaysia's army chief, General Azhan Md Othman, has directed a thorough investigation to determine the cause of the explosion.

He also expressed his condolences to the families of the two deceased soldiers.

A statement from the Malaysian army said all aspects of training safety will continue to be closely monitored, with necessary improvements to be implemented based on investigation findings.

Kuala Muda district police chief Hanyan Ramlan said preliminary findings revealed that the injuries suffered by the two soldiers were from the waist upwards.

He was cited by Utusan Malaysia as saying that the police will be recording statements from witnesses to determine what happened.

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