Three Americans aboard a C-130 Hercules water tanker aircraft died Thursday when their plane crashed in New South Wales, Australia, during a firebombing mission. Coulson Aviation in Oregon said one of its flying tankers was lost in an "extensive" accident after it took off from Richmond, New South Wales, to drop fire retardant on Australia's raging wildfires.
"The only thing I have from the field reports are that the plane came down, it's crashed, and there was a large fireball associated with that crash," said Rural Fire Service Commissioner Shane Fitzsimmons. "Unfortunately, all we've been able to do is locate the wreckage and the crash site and we have not been able to locate any survivors," and "there is no indication at this stage of what's caused the accident." Coulson said that until the cause of the crash is determined, it has grounded its other firefighting aircraft, removing a powerful tool from the firefighting arsenal in southeastern Australia.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
-
Political cartoons for October 25Cartoons Saturday’s political cartoons include hospital bill trauma, Independence Day, and more
-
Roasted squash and apple soup recipeThe Week Recommends Autumnal soup is full of warming and hearty flavours
-
Ukraine: Donald Trump pivots againIn the Spotlight US president apparently warned Volodymyr Zelenskyy to accept Vladimir Putin’s terms or face destruction during fractious face-to-face
-
Renewables top coal as Trump seeks reversalSpeed Read For the first time, renewable energy sources generated more power than coal, said a new report
-
China vows first emissions cut, sidelining USSpeed Read The US, the world’s No. 2 emitter, did not attend the New York summit
-
At least 800 dead in Afghanistan earthquakespeed read A magnitude 6.0 earthquake hit a mountainous region of eastern Afghanistan
-
Massive earthquake sends tsunami across PacificSpeed Read Hundreds of thousands of people in Japan and Hawaii were told to evacuate to higher ground
-
FEMA Urban Search and Rescue chief resignsSpeed Read Ken Pagurek has left the organization, citing 'chaos'
-
Wildfires destroy historic Grand Canyon lodgeSpeed Read Dozens of structures on the North Rim have succumbed to the Dragon Bravo Fire
-
Search for survivors continues after Texas floodsSpeed Read A total of 82 people are confirmed dead, including 28 children
-
EPA is reportedly killing Energy Star programspeed read The program for energy-efficient home appliances has saved consumers billions in energy costs since its 1992 launch
