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Crew member missing as Indonesian water-bombing helicopter crashes

Authorities say the cause is under investigation as rescuers search for the missing Indonesian crew member and treat the two Australian pilots.

  • On Sunday, a helicopter crashed into the Barito River while scooping water for firefighting operations, with two Australian crew members rescued and one Indonesian crew member remaining missing.
  • Indonesia has struggled for months to contain wildfires driven by El Nino, which have destroyed more than 1.9 million hectares across Sumatra, Borneo, and Papua, causing choking haze that drifted to Malaysia, Singapore, and East Timor.
  • This incident marks the second firefighting helicopter crash in days, following a Wednesday military chopper that plunged into waters off Borneo, killing three people during operations in Tanjung Puting National Park.
  • Dramatic video footage shows the Eurocopter EC225LP Super Puma being dragged downward after filling its bucket, eventually plunging nose-first into the river; the disaster mitigation agency had contracted the aircraft for water-bombing missions.
  • Authorities are investigating the cause of Sunday's accident, which occurred during water-bombing maneuvers. Aside from aerial support, Indonesia relies on ground-based firefighters to combat the widespread blazes across the archipelago.
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A second Indonesian helicopter belonging to the country's national disaster management agency has crashed during an air operation in Kalimantan.

·Tehran, Iran (Islamic Republic of)
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Two helicopters crashed in Indonesia in the event of forest fires, as reported by ua.news.

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www.jpnn.com broke the news in Indonesia on Thursday, November 5, 2026.
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