Two Australians rescued after firefighting helicopter crash

Two Australian crew members were rescued after a firefighting helicopter crashed into the Barito River in South Kalimantan, Indonesia, on Sunday, while an Indonesian crew member remained missing, the country’s disaster agency said. The two Australians were receiving medical attention as rescuers searched for their colleague, agency spokesman Berton Panjaitan said.

The privately owned Eurocopter EC225LP Super Puma was contracted for water-bombing operations and was collecting river water with a suspended bucket when it lost control and went into the water, according to the National Disaster Mitigation Agency, known as BNPB. Video of the incident showed the helicopter descending during the water-collection manoeuvre before plunging into the river; the footage does not establish what caused the crash.

An 18-member team from the South Kalimantan Regional Disaster Management Agency was sent to search for the missing crew member. Panjaitan said the helicopter had been moved to the riverbank for further investigation and that it was too early to determine the cause. BNPB said it would evaluate safety aspects of its firefighting air operations.

The missing crew member was identified in...