Two Australians survive as a water-bombing helicopter plunges into a Borneo river, and their Indonesian crewmate is missing
Two Australian crew members survived on Sunday when a firefighting helicopter crashed into the Barito River in Indonesia's South Kalimantan province while scooping up water for a drop. A third crew member, an Indonesian, is missing. It is the second firefighting helicopter to go down in Indonesian Borneo this week, as the country battles its worst fire season in more than a decade.
Live updates
- Sunday afternoon AWSTLatest
Indonesia's disaster agency says the two Australian crew are safe and receiving medical treatment; the Indonesian crew member is still missing.
- Sunday AWST
A water-bombing Super Puma crashes into the Barito River in South Kalimantan after filling its bucket; search teams head to the scene.
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Three things to know
- Indonesia's National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB) says the two Australians were rescued and are receiving medical treatment; they have not been named.
- The aircraft, a Eurocopter EC225LP Super Puma flown by a company contracted to the agency, appeared to lose control after filling its water bucket.
- Three crew died when a military helicopter went down off Borneo on Wednesday while fighting fires.
A water-bombing helicopter crashed into the Barito River in South Kalimantan on Sunday, Indonesian disaster officials said, and two Australian crew members on board survived.
The helicopter had taken off from Banjarmasin, the provincial capital, on Sunday morning, bound for fire-affected areas. Video of the crash shows it hovering low over the river to fill its bucket, then being dragged downward and plunging nose-first into the water. Local residents helped pull the wreckage from the river.
The aircraft was a Eurocopter EC225LP Super Puma, operated by a company contracted to Indonesia’s National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB). Three people were on board: two Australians, who were rescued, and an Indonesian crew member who is missing. Basarnas, the national search and rescue agency, sent teams to the scene.
BNPB spokesperson Berton Panjaitan said the helicopter appeared to lose control while manoeuvring after taking on water, during a water-bombing operation. He said a full report on the sequence of events and the exact cause was being compiled. The agency has not named the operator or the crew.
Why are Australians flying Indonesia’s fires?
Indonesia contracts private operators for its aerial firefighting, and the agency has not said who employed the two Australians. It leans heavily on aircraft alongside ground crews because many of the fires burn in peat, which smoulders below the surface and is hard to reach on foot.
Filling a bucket from a river is a demanding part of the job: the aircraft hovers just above the water with little room for error while a heavy load is added in seconds.
How bad is the fire season?
Fires have burned for months across Kalimantan, Sumatra and Papua. More than 1.9 million hectares had burned across Indonesia by September, according to the satellite monitor Nusantara Atlas. The environment minister says more than 100,000 personnel are fighting fires nationwide, and the health ministry has recorded more than 400,000 cases of acute respiratory infection.
Drought linked to a strong El Niño has made the season worse, and many fires are tied to land clearing for plantations; police have named more than 240 people and 20 companies as suspects. Smoke has drifted into Malaysia, Singapore and East Timor.
Is this the first crash?
No. On Wednesday a military helicopter on a firefighting mission went down off Borneo while taking on water, and three crew were killed. The army said the cause of that crash is under investigation.
What does this mean for families at home?
The Australians have not been named, and there is no word yet on the extent of their injuries. Australians with family working on Indonesia’s fire response can contact the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade’s 24-hour Consular Emergency Centre on 1300 555 135 in Australia or +61 2 6261 3305 from overseas.
VNN will update this story as more is confirmed.
How we got here
The key moments that brought this story into focus. Open any moment for detail.
September 2026Fires pass 1.9 million hectares
Satellite monitoring shows the scale of Indonesia's fire season.
Wednesday 4 November 2026Military helicopter crash
Three die when a firefighting helicopter goes down off Borneo.
Sunday 8 November 2026Barito River crash
Two Australians survive; an Indonesian crew member is missing.
What happens next
Basarnas is searching the river for the missing crew member, and BNPB says it will release a full report on the crash. Watch for the names of the two Australians and their condition, and for whether Indonesia pauses or changes water-bombing flights after two crashes in five days.
Sources
- VNN
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