KUALA LUMPUR, June 30 — Two military personnel, a corporal and a sergeant, sustained knee injuries after a firearm used during training at Hobart Camp in Gurun, Kedah, exploded due to a technical malfunction yesterday.

In the incident at about 6pm, one of the victims, a 35-year-old instructor, suffered a right knee injury that required eight stitches, according to a report by Astro Awani. 

Another victim, aged 29, who sustained an injury to his left knee believed to involve nerve damage, is still receiving treatment at Sultan Abdul Halim Hospital in Sungai Petani.

Kedah police chief Datuk Adzli Abu Shah said the injuries were confirmed not to have been caused by bullets, but rather by fragments or foreign objects propelled when the weapon suddenly exploded.

“Preliminary investigations found that a technical issue occurred when the weapon experienced stoppages or malfunctioned during training. After safety procedures were carried out, including unloading and laying down the weapon, an explosion suddenly occurred.

“Investigations now suggest that the explosion caused foreign debris to be propelled, injuring both personnel. Doctors also confirmed the injuries were consistent with impact from foreign objects and not gunfire,” he said at a press conference today.

Adzli said initial checks found that a regulator component in the weapon’s gas system had come loose, but the exact cause still requires further expert analysis.

He added that forensic teams from the Royal Malaysia Police (PDRM) and weapons specialists from the Malaysian Armed Forces (ATM) had visited the site to conduct detailed investigations.

“Although it is believed to be due to a technical issue and not negligence or live fire, we have still opened an investigation paper under Section 37 of the Arms Act 1960 to determine the exact cause,” he said.

He said several witnesses, including a major who served as an exercise observer, had been interviewed, while formal statements would be taken once the victims were stable.

The exercise involved 300 officers and personnel from Kem Bukit Cawder, Perlis, and began last Sunday, running until Thursday.

Separately, Adzli said police investigations into the deaths of two soldiers in a grenade explosion at the same camp on June 16 had been handed over to the military, with the case still classified as sudden death (SDR) while investigations continue. - malaymail