Three missing after firefighting helicopter crashes in western Turkey

ISTANBUL - Three people are missing, and one person has been rescued after a firefighting helicopter crashed while tackling a forest fire in the western Turkish port city of Izmir, reported Xinhua quoting local media on Sunday.

Citing a statement from Agriculture and Forestry Minister Ibrahim Yumakli, the NTV broadcaster said the helicopter crashed in the Menderes district at 11.53pm local time (2053 GMT) on Saturday.

Yumakli said that the helicopter smashed into the Tahtali Dam, from which it was taking water.

The NTV said one pilot with Kyrgyz nationality had been rescued after the crash, but the search and rescue operation was looking for two other pilots and one engineer on board.

Three helicopters with night vision were on duty to battle the fire, it added.

Earlier, the Defence Ministry said on X, formerly known as Twitter, that two AS-532 type helicopters of the Land Forces Command had joined in the fire-extinguishing efforts in Menderes. It was not immediately clear whether the crashed helicopter was one of them. - BERNAMA-XINHUA