KUALA LUMPUR, July 16 — A report on the grenade blast at Camp Hobart in Gurun, Kedah, which killed two people last month, is set to be submitted on July 23, said Defence Minister Datuk Seri Mohamed Khaled Nordin.
He said the report is crucial to ensure technical aspects, procedures and witness testimonies are examined before any conclusions are made on the cause of the incident.
“The army established a board of inquiry (BOI), which convened the day after the incident on June 17, 2026. The BOI’s report was subsequently submitted for review by the 2nd Division Headquarters and the Army Western Field Command Headquarters.
“The ministry received the report from the Army Western Field Command Headquarters on July 13, 2026. However, following a review, it was found that there was a need to recall several witnesses and possibly obtain testimony from additional witnesses to strengthen the findings of the investigation,” he told the Dewan Rakyat today.
Khaled was answering a question from Datuk Mohd Isam Mohd Isa (BN-Tampin) about the cause of the grenade blast during the Malaysian Armed Forces (MAF) training exercise, and preventive measures to prevent a recurrence.
Khaled said the incident, which occurred at 10.57am on June 16 during a Combat Enhancement Training exercise, claimed the lives of Siti Khadijah Sungip and supervising instructor Norazmi Abu Bakar.
Both victims sustained severe injuries in a grenade explosion inside a bunker and were pronounced dead en route to Sultan Abdul Halim Hospital in Sungai Petani.
Following the incident, Khaled said Army Chief Tan Sri Azhan Md Othman ordered the temporary suspension of all grenade-related exercises and directed a special inspection of grenades held by the 1st Squadron of the Royal Engineer Regiment.
Khaled added that to boost training safety, the ministry has outlined several improvements including installing CCTV cameras at firing ranges, using bodycams, and introducing a casting policy for ammunition and explosives to establish their service life.
