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Australian firefighting helicopter crashes into river in Indonesia

Published 12h ago · Latest report 5h ago · Accident

Affects Indonesia and Australia · Covered in 3 countries

AI summary39s readNegative

One crew member died and two Australians survived after a water-bombing helicopter crashed in Indonesia.

An Indonesian crew member died after an Australian-registered firefighting helicopter crashed into a river on the island of Borneo. The aircraft lost control while collecting river water for aerial fire drops in South Kalimantan province. Two Australian crew members survived the crash and were rescued, marking the region's second firefighting helicopter accident in recent days.

The casualtiesTwo Australian crew members survived the crash, while one local crew member lost their life.
The operationThe helicopter lost control while gathering river water for water-bombing runs to extinguish regional blazes.
Recent patternThe crash represents the second incident involving a firefighting helicopter in South Kalimantan within days.

What's new · 4h agoThe missing Indonesian crew member was confirmed dead, while two Australian crew members were rescued.

Why it matters

Wildfires frequently spread across parts of Indonesia during dry periods, prompting authorities to deploy aerial water-bombing helicopters to combat blazes in hard-to-reach terrain across Borneo.

By the numbers2

1crew member killed

2Australian crew members rescued

How outlets cover it

What outlets agree on

An Australian-registered firefighting helicopter crashed while collecting water in South Kalimantan, killing one local crew member and leaving two Australians alive.

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