Updated
Six firefighting helicopters have been grounded across Australia after one of them crashed into a dam in eastern Victoria.
Key points:
- The helicopter, nicknamed “Christine”, was fighting fires just north of Mount Baw Baw
- Three men on board were taken to hospital with minor injuries
- Aircrane-model helicopters have been grounded in four states
Two pilots and one engineer were on board the Aircrane when it crashed into a dam at Jericho, in remote Gippsland, just after 7:00pm.
The three men managed to swim to the edge of the dam.
Emergency Management Commissioner Andrew Crisp said the chopper “landed heavily” and the crew was flown to the Latrobe Valley Hospital for treatment.
“They were examined for some minor injuries and shock, as you’d imagine, but I believe they’ve been released from hospital now,” he told ABC Radio Melbourne.
He said the cause of the crash was not yet clear.
“I don’t really want to speculate, the Australian Transport Safety Bureau has been notified, they’ll have an investigator on the ground here this morning,” Commissioner Crisp said.
He said the Aircrane-model helicopter, nicknamed “Christine”, was one of two Aircranes contracted to Victoria’s firefighting fleet.
Choppers ‘will not fly until we get assurances’
All six Aircranes used across Australia had been grounded while the cause of the crash was investigated, he said.
That includes two Aircranes used in New South Wales, one in South Australia and one in Western Australia.
“At this stage the Aircranes in those other jurisdictions and our other one will not fly until we get assurances from Kestrel and Erickson,” Commissioner Crisp said.
He said while two of Victoria’s water-bombing aircraft had been grounded, there were other assets for firefighters to call on.
“There’s no denying the Aircranes are a significant asset, however we have 49 aeroplanes, helicopters we can call on,” he said.
The helicopter was one of 10 waterbombers being used to contain the nearby Thomson Catchment Complex fires, which are burning just north of Mount Baw Baw.
WorkSafe has also been notified.
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