Three people were killed when a light aircraft crashed in remote northern Australia on Saturday while battling bushfires.
Emergency services stated that the plane crashed near the outback town of McKinlay, more than 1,600 kilometres (1,000 miles) northwest of Queensland’s state capital Brisbane.
Authorities said it was being used for fire mapping as more than a dozen flames raged across the state.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese tweeted, “Terribly sad that three brave souls working to help their fellow Australians have lost their lives in Queensland”, through his official ‘X’, formerly Twitter.
“A tragic reminder of the dangers those on the front line of bushfires face”, added in his tweet.
The cause of the crash is unknown, but the Australian Transport Safety Bureau will investigate.
Australia is experiencing its most destructive bushfire season since 2019-2020, when a series of out-of-control infernos raged across the eastern seaboard, razing vast swathes of forest, killing millions of animals, and blanketing cities in toxic smoke.
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