Two Australian pilots survive fatal firefighting helicopter crash in Borneo
A third crew member was killed when the water-bombing helicopter crashed into the Barito River, the second such crash in Indonesia in days.
Two Australian pilots have survived the crash of a water-bombing helicopter in Indonesia's South Kalimantan province, while a third crew member was killed on Sunday, CNA and the South China Morning Post reported, citing a local disaster agency.
The aircraft came down in the Barito River on Borneo as it scooped up water for an airborne drop. Berton Panjaitan, a spokesman for the national disaster mitigation agency, told AFP the two Australians were "safe", according to CNA and The Hindu. SBS News, citing the agency, said the pair were receiving medical treatment. CNA said further details of their condition were not immediately available.
The outlets differ on the fate of the third crew member. SBS News and The Hindu reported that an Indonesian citizen was missing, and SBS said an 18-member rescue team had been sent to search. CNA carried a statement issued on Sunday evening by the search and rescue office in Banjarmasin, the provincial capital: "A joint search and rescue team recovered the final victim at 6:08 pm local time during a diving operation involving four divers."
CNA and The Hindu said video footage showed the helicopter being slowly dragged downward after filling its bucket, then plunging nose-first into the water. "In footage captured by an amateur video, the helicopter appears to lose control while manoeuvring after scooping up water from the river with a bambi bucket," Berton said, according to The Hindu. He said the Eurocopter EC225LP Super Puma belonged to a company the agency had contracted for water-bombing operations.
SBS News reported that Indonesia is experiencing its worst wildfires in a decade and that Australia has deployed firefighting personnel to help. The fires began in July and have been aggravated by a severe El Nino weather pattern, the Indonesian government said, according to SBS. The broadcaster also listed land clearance using fire and water shortages among the contributing factors.
Deforestation monitor Nusantara Atlas puts the area destroyed at more than 1.9 million hectares, CNA and The Hindu reported. Both said haze had drifted to Malaysia, East Timor and Singapore. SBS said smoke had reached as far as the Philippines, more than 800km away, and had caused a health crisis in neighbouring countries.
Sunday's crash was the second in days involving a firefighting aircraft. On Wednesday, a military helicopter carrying eight people crashed off Borneo during a mission to fight fires in Tanjung Puting National Park, killing three, CNA and The Hindu reported. That aircraft was also scooping up water for a drop, and an army statement said the cause was under investigation.
Sources: SBS News, Two Australians survive helicopter crash in Indonesia while fighting wildfires; CNA, Crash of Indonesian water-bombing helicopter kills crew member; South China Morning Post, Indonesian firefighting helicopter crash in Borneo kills 1; The Hindu, Crew member missing as Indonesian water-bombing helicopter crashes.
