Australia to join Indonesia's wildfire waterbombing operations

Australia will join Indonesia's firefighting efforts, dispatching aircraft to assist in waterbombing operations from November 6 to 12, according to the National Disaster Mitigation Agency. The support includes a C-130 Hercules and a Cessna Citation aircraft, capable of dropping up to 15,000 liters of water per sortie and conducting up to six sorties daily.

This assistance comes as Indonesia battles its worst wildfires in 11 years, primarily on Sumatra, Kalimantan, and Papua islands. A helicopter crash on Wednesday in Central Kalimantan, during a firefighting mission, claimed the lives of three crew members and injured several others. The aircraft was en route to Tanjung Puting National Park, a habitat for critically endangered orangutans.

Indonesian authorities continue searching for one missing crew member. Health Ministry data reveals over 400,000 acute respiratory infections across seven Indonesian provinces due to fire and haze as of November 2. Indonesian disaster agency chief Kristomei Sianturi stated that the country is making massive efforts to control the fires, utilizing waterbombing and cloud seeding operations along with international assistance.