Search Underway for Crashed Firefighting Helicopter in Western Turkey Lake
Underwater rescue teams are on a mission to locate a helicopter that crashed during a firefighting operation in western Turkey. The incident occurred over the weekend, and state media has reported on the ongoing search efforts as of Monday.
The helicopter, carrying four crew members, was engaged in battling a forest fire in the Menderes district of Izmir. Unfortunately, it met with disaster when it plummeted into the waters of the Tahtali dam.
Out of the four crew members on board, one brave pilot, who hails from Kyrgyzstan, managed to swim to safety after the accident took place late on a Saturday night. However, the fate of the other three crew members, comprising one Turkish national and two from Kyrgyzstan, remains unknown.
The search efforts, which initially started on Sunday, resumed on Monday after the previous day’s attempts yielded no results. Reports suggest that the helicopter, equipped with night vision technology and engaged in collecting water to douse the flames below, currently rests in the lake’s depths, stuck in mud approximately 36 feet beneath the surface.
The forest fire, which posed a significant threat to the Menderes district, was successfully extinguished on Sunday. It’s worth noting that Turkey frequently experiences summer wildfires due to the combination of dry vegetation, high temperatures, and strong winds – conditions that unfortunately create a conducive environment for these deadly blazes.