Fatal crash for Australia air tanker fighting fires
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An aircraft fighting bushfires in Australia lost contact with ground control after it crashed, officials said on Thursday, as soaring temperatures and strong winds fanned blazes in the country’s southeast including one on the capital’s doorstep.
The New South Wales (NSW) Rural Fire Service said all three crew on board.
“Tragically, there appears to be no survivors as a result of the crash down in the Snowy Monaro area,” NSW Rural Fire Service (RFS) Commissioner Shane Fitzsimmons told reporters.
“[The aircraft] impacted heavily with the ground and initial reports are that there was a large fireball associated with the impact of the plane as it hit the ground.”
The aircraft was chartered by American aerial firefighting company, Coulson Aviation (USA), the Australian Broadcasting Corporation reported and was flying in the state’s Snowy Monaro region.
Local media reported that the aircraft was a C130 waterbomber and that it was working near a large fire in a national park.
Meanwhile, in Canberra, emergency authorities urged residents and workers on the eastern side of Canberra to stay in place as it was too late to leave, warning that driving would be “extremely dangerous and potentially deadly”.
Flights in and out of Canberra Airport were delayed to give way to planes fighting the fire, which was near the airport on the eastern edge of the city.
