Six personnel from the Royal Malaysian Navy Special Warfare Forces, known as PASKAL, were involved in a free-fall parachuting exercise over the South China Sea on August 12, 2026 [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6]. Sudden and adverse weather conditions caused the group to drift off course, preventing them from landing near their intended target close to a Malaysian naval offshore station at Pulau Layang-Layang [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6].

Royal Malaysian Navy vessels KD Teguh and KD Pahang were deployed for the rescue operation. Five of the personnel were located and recovered around 9 p.m. the same day. Four were reported in stable condition, while one was injured, reportedly due to a shark attack during the incident [1, 4]. All six personnel were eventually rescued from the sea and transported to Hospital Angkatan Tentera Wilayah Kota Kinabalu for medical evaluation and treatment [1, 4].

Defence Minister Datuk Seri Mohamed Khaled Nordin confirmed the incident but did not provide specific details or disclose the exact number of personnel involved. "They were conducting a free-fall exercise. It did not involve any outside party," he stated [1, 4].

The Royal Malaysian Navy issued statements highlighting the incident as proof of PASKAL’s effective training under extreme conditions. A Navy Facebook post noted, "Besides combat skills, this intensive training has proven effective in developing high levels of resilience, discipline and survival capabilities in extreme situations, in line with the slogan 'Always the Best'" [2, 3, 5, 6]. The Navy also emphasized its commitment to balancing combat readiness with personnel safety to protect Malaysia’s maritime sovereignty [2, 3, 5, 6].

Discrepancies exist in reports about injuries and whether any personnel were initially missing. Some sources cite one injured from a shark attack and that five were found at 9 p.m., implying one was unaccounted for at that time [1, 4]. Other reports state all six were safely accounted for without injuries or missing status [2, 3, 5, 6].

By August 13, the Royal Malaysian Navy officially confirmed all personnel were safe and underscored the success of their continuous and realistic training exercises [2, 3, 5, 6]. The rescued PASKAL members remain under medical care, with further updates expected following their recovery.