Australia to join Indonesia’s wildfire water-bombing operations
The support includes a C-130 Hercules, a Cessna Citation aircraft and a Large Air Tanker capable of dropping up to 15,000 litres of water per sortie.
Indonesia is enlisting Australia's assistance to combat its ongoing wildfire crisis, the Australian government announced on Thursday. The country's New South Wales Rural Fire Service has committed to supporting Indonesia's firefighting efforts from November 6 to 12. This aid includes a C-130 Hercules and a Cessna Citation aircraft, with a large air tanker capable of dropping up to 15,000 liters of water per sortie and potentially up to six sorties daily.
The wildfires have ravaged extensive areas on Sumatra, Borneo, and Papua islands, marking Indonesia's most severe fire season in 11 years. Tragically, an Indonesian water-bombing helicopter crashed on Wednesday in Central Kalimantan, killing all three crew members and injuring several others. The accident occurred while the aircraft was loading water.
Health ministry data from November 2 revealed that the fires have caused over 400,000 cases of acute respiratory infections across seven Indonesian provinces. Indonesia is employing extensive measures to control the blazes, including water-bombing and cloud seeding operations, while seeking foreign aid to bolster their efforts.
Written by urgent.news from Free Malaysia Today's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
