Turkey‘s Minister of Agriculture and Forestry, Ibrahim Yumaklı, announced that a helicopter crashed while combatting a forest fire in the Turkish province of Izmir, plunging into a reservoir from which it was drawing water.
Yumaklı stated that communication with the crew was lost on September 16th, and an investigation has been initiated.
According to the “360” news website, Yumaklı said, “It was determined that the helicopter crashed into the Tahtalı Dam, from which it was drawing water to extinguish a forest fire in the Menderes region.”
The Minister reported that one member of the crew has been rescued, while the search for the remaining three is ongoing. The search efforts involve the police, the Coast Guard, and disaster management officials.
In response, Yumaklı said the real reason for the accident will be revealed after all examinations, and that they will be able to say whether there is a connection to the previous accident after that.
On the other hand, the fire in Menderes was taken under control 20 hours after it broke out.
