*MELBOURNE/SYDNEY: *A Canadian-owned C-130 Hercules air tanker crashedwhile fighting bushfires in Australia’s alpine region on Thursday, killingall three of its crew, authorities said.
All three victims were American residents, Australian authorities said,adding that they did not immediately know why the plane crashed as it wascarrying a load of fire retardant.
“Tragically, there appears to be no survivors as a result of the crash downin the Snowy Monaro area,” said Shane Fitzsimmons, the Rural Fire ServicesCommissioner for New South Wales state.
“(The tanker) impacted heavily with the ground and initial reports are thatthere was a large fireball associated with the impact of the plane as ithit the ground. There is no indication at this stage of what’s caused theaccident.”
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A spokesman for Australia’s Civil Aviation Safety Authority said that theaircraft went into a valley to drop the retardant and didn’t come out.
Fitzsimmons said the plane had been leased by Canadian aerial firefightingcompany Coulson Aviation, which had a second C-130 Hercules working in theAustralian bushfires operation.
