This incident occurred while the air fleet was conducting a water-bombing operation,
National Disaster Mitigation Agency spokesman Berton Panjaitan said.
Two Australian pilots survived after their firefighting helicopter nosedived into Indonesia’s Barito River on Sunday while battling severe wildfires in South Kalimantan province, according to the National Disaster Management Agency (BNPB). The aircraft plunged into the water while scooping up water during the water-bombing operation.
While the two Australian nationals survived and received medical treatment, an Indonesian crew member remained missing. Authorities stated that the two Australians were safe following the crash, which occurred as the helicopter lost altitude while manoeuvring after filling its bambi bucket from the river.
An 18-member rescue team was deployed to search for the missing Indonesian citizen, while locals pulled wreckage from the water. Amateur video posted to social media captured the aircraft losing control during the manoeuvre.
The incident marks the second helicopter crash in Indonesia in five days involving aircraft taking part in water-bombing operations, following a Wednesday crash in Central Kalimantan that resulted in three deaths. The ongoing crisis stems from Indonesia experiencing its most intense wildfires in a decade, which have burned large swathes of land on the islands of Sumatra, Borneo, and Papua since July.
The blazes have been aggravated by a severe El Nino weather pattern, land clearance using fire, and water shortages, generating a toxic haze that drifted as far as the Philippines. Australia has deployed firefighting personnel to help combat the disaster as investigations into the river crash continue.
