Overview
- A Eurocopter EC225LP Super Puma contracted to Indonesia's disaster agency crashed into the Barito River while scooping water during a firefighting mission, video shows the aircraft losing control and nosing into the water.
- Two Australian crew members were rescued and are receiving medical care while one Indonesian crew member remains unaccounted for, authorities confirmed.
- The Nov. 8 crash is the second water‑bombing helicopter accident in days, following a Nov. 4 military chopper crash that killed three people during a seawater scooping operation.
- BNPB and search‑and‑rescue teams have moved the wreckage to the riverbank and said a full chronology and cause report is being compiled as part of a broader safety review of air operations.
- Indonesia’s intense fire season, driven by a strong El Niño and drought that has burned more than 1.9 million hectares, has increased reliance on risky water‑scooping flights and raised questions about crew safety and contractor oversight.