Five, including two Australians, survive helicopter crash in Bali

DENPASAR: Two Australian nationals and three Indonesians survived a helicopter crash in South Kuta in Badung, Bali, on Friday (July 19) afternoon. The crash reportedly happened after the helicopter became entangled in kite strings.

I Nyoman Sidakarya, an official with the Denpasar Search and Rescue Agency, said the helicopter took off from the Garuda Wisnu Kencana (GWK) area for a tour around Bali at 2.33pm but reportedly crashed five minutes later in Pecatu village.

The Indonesian pilot, crew and a passenger, as well as two Australian passengers, were injured and rushed to hospital following the accident.

“All the victims survived and have been taken to hospital for medical treatment,” Sidakarya said.

Mokhammad Khusnu, a spokesman for the Transportation Ministry’s Air Transportation Directorate General, said in a statement that the incident happened after the helicopter became entangled.

“We have received a report that the accident of the PK-WSP type Bell 505 helicopter belonging to PT Whitesky Aviation in South Kuta was due to it being entangled in kite strings,” Khusnu said.

The ministry will carry out more intensive outreach on the dangers of kites and monitoring through coordination with the Bali administration so as not to risk aviation safety and security, Khusnu said. – The Jakarta Post/ANN