A Bell 412 helicopter crashed on the morning of 29/7 in Ischigualasto natural park, San Juan province, western Argentina. The helicopter was on a training flight, preparing for wildfire operations in a nearby province. It lost contact with its base around 10:30 a.m. (8:30 p.m. Hanoi time) at an altitude exceeding 1,200 meters. Marcelo Orrego, governor of San Juan province, confirmed that the 7 victims included firefighters, police officers, and civil defense personnel.

The helicopter reportedly crashed in San Juan, Argentina on 29/7. Photo: C5N

Journalist Mauricio Davila cited rescue personnel at the scene, who described the helicopter as having "shattered into thousands of pieces". The cause of the accident remains under investigation. The San Juan provincial government has declared three days of mourning following the incident.

Meanwhile, La Rioja, a province bordering San Juan, has been battling extensive wildfires in its mountainous regions since early this week. Local firefighting teams reported that hundreds of hectares of forest were consumed by flames in just three days.

By Thanh Tam (Based on AFP, The Sun)