Helicopter Crew Member Killed in Indonesia During Forest-Firefighting Mission
Helicopter Crew Member Killed in Indonesia During Forest-Firefighting Mission
SOUTH KALIMANTAN, November 8, 2026 — A helicopter crew member was killed on Sunday after a firefighting aircraft crashed into a river in Indonesia’s South Kalimantan province while collecting water for an aerial operation to combat forest fires.
The accident occurred on the island of Borneo as the helicopter was carrying out a water-dropping mission. According to Berton Panjaitan, spokesman for Indonesia’s National Disaster Management Agency, two Australian nationals aboard the aircraft survived and were safe, while an Indonesian crew member had initially been reported missing.
A joint search and rescue team recovered the missing crew member’s body after 6 p.m. local time on Sunday during a diving operation involving four divers, according to a statement from the Banjarmasin Search and Rescue Office.
Panjaitan said the incident happened while the aircraft was conducting a water-dropping operation. Amateur video footage reportedly showed the helicopter losing control after collecting water from the river before plunging into the water.
The crash was the second recent accident involving a helicopter assigned to firefighting operations in the region. On Wednesday, a military aircraft carrying eight people on a firefighting mission crashed off the coast of Borneo, killing three.
Indonesia has been battling forest fires for months, with blazes affecting large areas of Sumatra, Borneo and Papua. The fires have produced thick smoke and haze that have also affected neighbouring countries, including Malaysia, Timor-Leste and Singapore.
According to deforestation monitoring organisation Nusantara Atlas, fires burned more than 1.9 million hectares of land during the first nine months of the year. The blazes have been exacerbated by severe drought conditions associated with the El Niño climate phenomenon.
