Pilot killed as firefighting helicopter crashes in Uiseong

This photo shows the wreckage of the crashed firefighting helicopter scattered around in North Gyeongsang Province, March 26. Yonhap

A firefighting helicopter with one pilot crashed Wednesday while battling a large wildfire in the southeastern county of Uiseong, killing the pilot, authorities said.

The helicopter went down on a mountain in Uiseong, located about 180 kilometers southeast of Seoul, at 12:54 p.m., according to the Korea Forest Service.

The 73-year-old pilot was declared dead at the scene.

Built in 1995, the S-76 helicopter is capable of carrying 1,200 liters of water and had been in service for about 30 years.

The Korea Forest Service grounded all firefighting helicopters soon after the crash but resumed their operations starting at 3:30 p.m., as the fire continued to spread in Uiseong.

The agency said it first began dispatching helicopters except for the S-76 model and only sent pilots who consented to flying them.

According to the Korea Forest Service, 23 other S-76 helicopters remain available, and it plans to put them back in operation if they pass safety tests.

About 80 firefighting helicopters were deployed in the region on Wednesday. (Yonhap)