Three soldiers killed in Army firefighting helicopter crash in Central Kalimantan
An Indonesian Army helicopter carrying eight people crashed while collecting seawater for a firefighting mission in Central Kalimantan on Wednesday, Nov. 4, 2026. Three soldiers died, and the five survivors were receiving treatment in Banjarmasin.
Military honors and evacuation
The Jakarta Post identified those killed as Lt. Col. Anwar Dudi Firmansyah, Capt. Nurhafiz Akbar and First Sgt. Heri Prasetyo. The two officers and the noncommissioned officer were granted posthumous promotions in recognition of their deaths in the line of duty.
Army chief of staff Gen. Tandyo Budi Revita said Thursday that the five survivors would be transferred from Banjarmasin to Java for further treatment. He spoke after leading a full military burial ceremony for Nurhafiz at Giri Tunggal Heroes' Cemetery in Semarang.
Rescuers evacuated the first victims from the crash site at 12:30 p.m. local time Wednesday, according to Central Kalimantan Police public relations head Senior Commissioner Budi Rachmat, as reported by ANTARA News.
The Transport Ministry pledged to assist with the evacuation and later said an Army CASA 212 aircraft had transported two bodies from Kuala Pembuang to Semarang. Civil Aviation Director General Lukman F. Laisa said the ministry was preparing airport facilities and coordinating flight services, ANTARA reported.
Flight route and water collection
The aircraft was a Russian-made Mil Mi-17V5 heavy transport helicopter bearing tail number HA-5235. It departed from Kuala Pembuang, the capital of Seruyan regency, with eight people aboard. ANTARA described its route as a round trip between Kuala Pembuang and Telaga Pulang, with a water-bombing mission planned near Telaga Pulang.
According to The Jakarta Post, the helicopter went down at about 11:18 a.m. as it collected seawater off Sungai Perlu village in Danau Sembuluh district, Seruyan regency, near Tanjung Puting National Park.
An initial AirNav Indonesia report cited by the Transport Ministry gave 11:17 a.m. as the time air traffic controllers received word of a crash during water collection in coastal waters. That report also said the crew had announced a weather-related change in the firefighting target to Pematang Limau during the flight, according to ANTARA.
Fire damage and aerial operations
The firefighting operation served Tanjung Puting National Park, which extends across West Kotawaringin and Seruyan regencies. The park is an important habitat for Bornean orangutans and also supports proboscis monkeys, gibbons and macaques, according to Jakarta Globe.
An estimated 54,000 hectares of the park had burned in forest and land fires. Across Kalimantan, the estimated burned area exceeded 120,000 hectares as of October 2026, Jakarta Globe reported, citing cumulative figures from the Forestry Ministry's SiPongi monitoring system and the National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB).
By Oct. 10, aerial crews had dropped about 574,000 liters of water on fire-affected areas in the park and West Kotawaringin Regency. BNPB said thick smoke can severely limit visibility and disrupt helicopter missions, making aerial firefighting difficult.