Australian among survivors of helicopter crash in Indonesia
The pilots remarkably survived the crash after their aircraft nosedived into a river.
An Australian national, Michael Betteridge, and a New Zealander, Hugh Page, survived a helicopter crash in Indonesia while attempting to collect water to combat forest fires. The helicopter, contracted to Indonesian authorities, crashed into the Barito River in South Kalimantan province after attempting to load water. An Indonesian navigator, Yayan Supyansuri, died in the incident.
Local authorities and foreign governments are providing assistance and conducting investigations into the cause of the crash. The incident comes amid a severe fire season in Indonesia, with toxic smoke and haze affecting over 400,000 people, according to the country's health ministry.
Written by urgent.news from ABC News AU's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
