US crew killed in air tanker crash identified

The victims (from left) were Ian McBeth, Paul Clyde Hudson and Rick A DeMorgan Jr. They are United States firefighters who died when their air tanker crashed while battling blazes in Australia. REUTERS
The victims (from left) were Ian McBeth, Paul Clyde Hudson and Rick A DeMorgan Jr. They are United States firefighters who died when their air tanker crashed while battling blazes in Australia. REUTERS

SYDNEY – Three United States firefighters who died when their air tanker crashed while battling blazes in Australia have been identified.

Captain Ian McBeth, first officer Paul Clyde Hudson and flight engineer Rick A DeMorgan Jr. were killed in New South Wales (NSW) on Thursday. 

The cause of the C-130 Hercules crash is not yet known.

Officials lost contact with the plane, owned by Canadian firefighting company Coulson Aviation, shortly before 13:30 local time (02:30 GMT).

Since September, Australia has battled a bushfire crisis which has now killed at least 33 people. Over 70 bushfires are still raging across NSW alone.(BBC)

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