Three fire fighters have been confirmed dead in an air crash while trying to put out the raging Australian fires this Thursday. The cause of the crash in the snowy mountains in New South Wales State is not yet known. The victims were American residents.
More than 80 blazes are raging across the State after hot and windy conditions returned. The rural Fire-Service says the plane crashed in an active fire zone two hours south of Australia’s capital, Canberra.
The last available flight data showed the aircraft – which is owned by a Canadian company – near Cooma. At the time of this report, the three crew members have not been identified. Australian prime Minister Scott Morrison and premier Gladys Berejiklian have expressed condolences for the firefighters’ families.
Reports say the experienced and “well known” crew had been contracted to Australia to help fight the unprecedented bushfires this season. The Hercules c-130 water-bombing aircraft had been leased from North American firm Coulson aviation as part of a seasonal arrangement with State fire authorities.
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Authorities say all large air tanker aircraft operations had been suspended for the rest of the day pending investigation into the crash.
Australia has battled a bushfire crisis which has now killed at least 33 persons.
