Mock rescue mission

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THE heavily-armed pirates on a speedboat approached the luxury yacht in the Straits of Malacca.

Unsuspecting an attack, the people onboard put up little resistance, but managed to send a distress call before the attackers boarded the vessel and hijacked it.

Having received the call, the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA) quickly dispatched a fast interceptor craft to the site followed by two other Petir boats with STAR (Special Task and Rescue) teams on board.

Two AS365 N3 Dauphin helicopters were also sent to the scene to assist.

Before long, the enforcement teams caught up with the yacht, but

negotiations with the pirates failed after they refused to release the hostages.

Top flight: MMEA officers displaying their skills during the mock rescue demonstration

Left with no other alternative, STAR teams moved in to conduct a special rescue mission.

One of the helicopters engages the hijacked boat while snipers on board the second chopper conduct a clearance check before lowering a team on board.

After a brief struggle, the skilled STAR teams overpowers the pirates

and regains control of the yacht.

But before any celebrations can be thought of, they rush to rescue a crew member who had fallen overboard and was injured during the incident.

He was quickly winched out of the waves and rushed to the nearest hospital by helicopter.

The daring scenario, which was part of a MMEA maritime and air demonstration in conjunction with the Langkawi International Maritime and Aerospace (LIMA) exhibition, was played out off the coast of Awana Porto Malai before Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin.

It was just one of many exciting highlights that were carried out on the first day of the event.

Thrilling show: Spectators watching the MMEA mock rescue demonstration

Earlier in the morning, Muhyiddin, along with Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak, former Prime Minister Tun Mahathir Mohamad and others witnessed a death-defying air show at the Mahsuri International Exhibition Centre.

Aerial displays by 10 different aircraft left visitors and trade exhibitors in awe with their elaborate manoeuvres, spins and ascents.

At each acceleration of the powerful jets, the ground vibrated with the tremendous force while the sound of the engines left no one in doubt of the strength emanating from the aircraft.

The airshow also saw the debut of the Krisakti aerobatics team, comprising seven experienced local pilots.

Over the next four days, airshows and maritime exhibitions will be held daily at specific venues across Langkawi.

A record number of 403 exhibiting companies from 56 nations are participating in the event that will see 64 aircraft and 59 warships on display.

The exhibition is open to the public on Friday and Saturday.