PUTRAJAYA: The Women, Family and Community Development Ministry, through the National Welfare Foundation (YKN), will channel RM3,000 aid to each family of the 10 crew members who lost their lives in the Lumut helicopter crash.

Its minister, Datuk Seri Nancy Shukri, announced that the financial assistance was under YKN's Skim Pemberian Ehsan Kepada Keluarga Mangsa (Compassionate Grant Scheme for Victims' Families).

"While the aid may not fully alleviate the grief experienced by these families, it is intended to lessen their burden," she told reporters after a "majlis tahlil" held for the victims at the ministry today.

Present was Minister in the Prime Minister's Department (Federal Territories) Dr Zaliha Mustafa.

Nancy said she would personally hand over the aid to the family of the victim from Sarawak.

"Deputy minister (Datuk Seri Dr Noraini Ahmad) will deliver the assistance to the families in Sabah as she is heading there, as well as those here in Lumut," she said.

She added that the families would be given counselling via the ministry's Social Support Centres and the Social Welfare Department once they are able to come to terms with their loss.

Yesterday, the government announced a RM10,000 preliminary assistance for each family.

Defence Minister Datuk Seri Mohamed Khaled Nordin was reported as saying that the ministry had set up a special fund to facilitate public donations to further assist them.

In the incident on Tuesday, two Royal Malaysian Navy (RMN) helicopters crashed following a mid-air collision at the naval base in Lumut, Perak, killing all 10 crew members.

The helicopters, an AW139 Maritime Operations Helicopter and a Fennec, crashed during a fly-past rehearsal for the 90th Naval Day celebration.

The AW139 crashed at the steps of the Navy Stadium while the Fennec crashed near Navy Sports Complex pool.

The tahlil recital today, attended by some 200 ministry staff members, was led by Muhammad Zaid Jumali, who is the ministry's assistant Islamic affairs officer.

https://www.nst.com.my/news/nation/2024/04/1042443/ministry-channel-rm3000-aid-each-family-lumut-crash-victims-—-nancy