Super Puma Helicopter Crashes in South Kalimantan During Wildfire Operations

According to the International Desk of Webangah News Agency, …a Super Puma helicopter operated by Indonesia’s National Disaster Management Agency (BNPB) went down on Sunday while performing aerial firefighting operations over land and forest fires near the Barito River in South Kalimantan.

Preliminary reports compiled from emergency communication teams and the Banjarmasin Search and Rescue Office indicate that the aircraft crashed during a maneuver shortly after scooping water from the river to extinguish the ongoing blazes.

Technical specifications identify the aircraft as a Eurocopter EC225LP Super Puma—also designated as the Airbus H225—bearing registration number VH-HGM and manufacturer serial number 2878. This incident marks the second helicopter crash reported during aerial operations in the Kalimantan region.

Authorities confirmed that three people were aboard the aircraft at the time of the accident, with early reports indicating that two occupants managed to survive the crash.