Australian tanker aircraft feared crashed while fighting bushfires
23 January, 2020
Helicopters were searching on Thursday to locate an air tanker feared to have crashed while fighting bushfires in Australia's alpine region, authorities said, as soaring temperatures and strong winds fanned blazes across the country's east.
Hundreds of wildfires in Australia have killed 29 people since September, as well as an estimated 1 billion animals, while incinerating 2,500 homes and a total area of bushland one-third the size of Germany.
The New South Wales (NSW) rural fire service said it was investigating an incident involving the tanker flying in the state's Snowy Monaro region, southwest of Sydney.
"Local ground crews indicate the aircraft may have crashed," it said in a statement. "A number of helicopters are in the area carrying out a search."
It was not immediately clear how many were on board the craft, which can typically accommodate between two and six.
Several ambulances and a helicopter were at the scene of the suspected crash, an emergency services source said.
Air tankers typically carry thousands of liters of water or fire retardant to be released over fires, which can help contain blazes in areas ground crews find hard to reach.
Media said authorities lost contact with the air tanker in Peak View, a small rural town about 400 km (249 miles) from Sydney.
Peak View is close to a blaze burning out of control in the Wadbilliga National Park, the fire service said.
The fire service did not immediately respond to requests for details. Media said the aircraft was a C130 waterbomber working near a large fire in a national park.
Authorities have closed the airport in Canberra, the capital, as two emergency-level fires joined into a single out-of-control fire nearby.
Residents and businesses near fires were told it was too late to leave as thick plumes of dark smoke smothered the neighboring suburbs.
Soaring temperatures and strong winds stoked bushfires in much of Australia's southeast, with Sydney forecast to hit 41 degrees Celsius following a few days of cooler weather.
A fire in the Snowy Mountains region and one in the Bega Valley on the south coast of New South Wales both flared up, with emergency authorities warning residents to get out if they did not plan to defend their properties.
"Fire dangers are just starting to peak, and we're in for a long afternoon and night across many areas of NSW," the state's Rural Fire Service said on its Twitter account.
The Bureau of Meteorology warned that "damaging winds" were driving up fire dangers in some regions, while the country's biggest city was again forecast to wallow in hazardous air quality levels under smoke palls from some 90 blazes burning across the state.
Since September, hundreds of wildfires in Australia have killed 29 people as well as an estimated 1 billion native animals, while incinerating 2,500 homes and a total area of bushland one-third the size of Germany.
The disaster hit the Christmas and summer holiday season, emptying out caravan parks and hotels, devastating peak earnings for businesses dependent on domestic and foreign tourists.
The Australian Tourism Industry Council estimated the revenue loss industry-wide at A$2 billion ($1.4 billion), including forward sales and the physical damage to tourism facilities across regions ravaged by bushfires.
"Whatever the numbers ultimately land at, it's had a significant impact," said Simon Westaway, executive director of the council, which represents small and medium-sized tourism businesses.
Cancellation rates hit 100% in fire-affected areas while tourist facilities even in areas not affected by fires were hit with cancellation rates of around 60%, and there is evidence of international booking cancellations too, he said.
"People see a state of emergency and don't know if they'll be able to get in or out," Westaway told Reuters. "This contagion has really swept across the industry."
Source: japantoday.com
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