Helicopter fighting forest fire in Türkiye’s Adana crashes into dam, all crew rescued

A helicopter combating a forest fire in Türkiye’s Adana crashed into the water on Friday while attempting to collect water.

The incident occurred at the Gokdere Dam, where the helicopter operated by the Turkish General Directorate of Forestry encountered trouble.

Turkish Minister of Agriculture and Forestry Ibrahim Yumakli shared the news on social media, stating: “Thankfully, all five crew members on board the helicopter were rescued safely.”

Our helicopter used by our General Directorate of Forestry, which intervened to extinguish the forest fire in Kozan district of Adana, was destroyed while receiving water from Gökdere Dam. Thank God, our five personnel working in the helicopter were rescued in good health. I wish our devoted crew a speedy recovery, and I would like to thank our Forestry Organization, which is fighting forest fires, and all our supporting institutions and their staff.

Turkish Minister of Agriculture and Forestry Ibrahim Yumakli

Meanwhile, Adana Governor Yavuz Selim Kosger provided additional details, noting that two helicopters had been deployed to tackle the forest fire.

One of the helicopters experienced an incident during water collection.

Adana’nın Kozan ilçesindeki orman yangınını söndürmek için müdahalede bulunan Orman Genel Müdürlüğümüz tarafından kullanılan helikopterimiz Gökdere Barajı'ndan su aldığı esnada kırıma uğramıştır.

Çok şükür helikopterde görev yapan beş personelimiz sağlıklı şekilde…

— İbrahim Yumaklı (@ibrahimyumakli) August 2, 2024

Governor Kosger reassured the public, stating: “Unfortunately, the helicopter crashed while collecting water. All five crew members survived, and there are no health concerns regarding their condition.”