Indonesia firefighting helicopter crashes; one missing

A helicopter fighting Indonesian wildfires crashed into a river in South Kalimantan on Sunday, leaving one crew member missing and two others rescued, a disaster agency official said.

Berton Panjaitan, a spokesman for the national disaster mitigation agency, said the two rescued crew members were Australian nationals and were safe. The missing crew member is Indonesian.

The helicopter crashed during a water-bombing operation on the Barito River. Panjaitan said amateur video showed the aircraft losing control while manoeuvring after scooping water with a bucket.

He said the Eurocopter EC225LP Super Puma belonged to a company contracted by the disaster mitigation agency for water-bombing operations.

It was the second firefighting helicopter crash in days on Borneo. Indonesia has relied on ground crews and aircraft as wildfires have burned across Sumatra, Borneo and Papua. Deforestation monitor Nusantara Atlas says the fires have destroyed more than 1.9 million hectares.