Helicopter crashes in Argentina to fight wildfires, 7 dead

A helicopter crashed during a training session to fight wildfires in Argentina, killing seven crew members.

The accident occurred in the country's San Juan province on Thursday morning (July 30) local time. Police have launched an investigation to determine the cause of the accident.

Local authorities said the Bell 412 utility helicopter lost contact with air traffic control shortly after takeoff at an altitude of about 4,000 feet. It later crashed. The weather was said to have been favorable during the training.

The helicopter was carrying senior police and fire service officials. They were participating in a training session on forest firefighting organized by the national firefighting agency. The training was organized for about 50 members of the local emergency services.

San Juan authorities have identified the victims as Deputy Chief of Police Marcelo Videla, Fire Chief Ruben Castro, Director of Civil Protection Carlos Heredia and Deputy Fire Chief Jorge Carbajal. Three other crew members were also among the dead.

A local mining company helicopter recovered the wreckage of the crashed helicopter after the crash. Rescue efforts have been hampered by the remoteness of the crash site, which is in a mountainous area. Rescuers have had to walk about seven miles to reach the scene.

Police have launched an investigation into the cause of the crash.

La Rioja, a semi-arid region about the size of Austria, has been battling a devastating wildfire for days. Local firefighters say hundreds of hectares of forest have been burned in the past three days.

Source: The Sun