Three US firefighters died while battling a huge bushfire in Australia when the C-130 tanker they were flying crashed in the southern section of the country on Thursday, January , 23.
The firefighters were killed in the crash after leaving the town of Richmond in the New South Wales state on a firebombing mission around the Snowy Mountains, local officials said.
Rescue crews rushed to the area on Thursday afternoon but found no survivors among the wreckage. The bodies are yet to be recovered.
“Unfortunately, all we’ve been able to do is locate the wreckage and the crash site and we have not been able to locate any survivors,” Rural Fire Service Commissioner Shane Fitzsimmons said after the crash.
‘[The aircraft] impacted heavily with the ground and initial reports are that there was a large fireball associated with the impact of the plane as it hit the ground.’
‘There is no indication at this stage of what’s caused the accident,’ he said.
New South Wales Premier…
Source: Linda Ikeji
