Firefighting helicopter crashes near Sydney

Sydney, Aug 17 (IANS) A firefighting helicopter crashed near Sydney while battling a wildfire on Friday, a spokesperson from Australia's Civil Aviation Safety Authority said.

With unseasonably warm weather and strong winds making conditions difficult, emergency services have been struggling to contain dozens of wildfires across New South Wales (NSW), reports Xinhua news agency.

According to a NSW police spokesman, "significant resources" have been sent to the area where the Kawasaki BK117 aircraft went down.

There were no immediate reports of any casualties.

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