FINAL MESSAGE
CHILLING audio has emerged of three firefighters calling emergency services for help before their RFS water bomber crashed in a "ball of flames" in Australia.
The three American firefighters died after the C-130 Hercules aerial water tanker crashed in New South Wales, bringing the bush fires death toll to 32.
The audio of the call was broadcast by Nine News.
"Fire comms…message red speak to your captain. Message this is red," a man could be heard saying.
The man says the word "crashed" before the audio cuts out briefly.
"Yeah fire comms…it's just a ball of flames. Over."
The RFS waterbomber plunged to the ground in the Snowy Monaro and emergency crews worked to get to the crash, which is surrounded by difficult terrain and "terrible visibility",
The plane, known as Zeus, was owned and operated by Canada-based company Coulson Aviation and contracted to the RFS.
The company’s owners are travelling to Australia and are expected to arrive in the next 24 hours.
“The aircraft had departed Richmond with a load of retardant and was on a firebombing mission,” the company said in a statement.
“The accident is reported to be extensive and we are deeply saddened to confirm there were three fatalities.”
Authorities said the names of the victims wouldn’t be released until their families had been informed.
It is unclear exactly what caused the crash, with the Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) set to investigate.
It is understood the huge air tanker was engaged in "routine" waterbombing activities on a blaze near Cooma, north-east of the Snowy Mountains when it crashed.
Scott Morrison, Australia's Prime Minister said he was "deeply saddened" to learn of the tragedy.
It comes as hundreds of fires have raged across the country over the past few months, leaving at least 28 people dead, destroying more than 2,000 homes and killing scores of animals.
But it will take 100 years for Australia to "get back to where we were before the fires", experts have warned.
More than 100 fires continue to burn in the east, but cooler conditions in recent days and forecast rain have aided firefighting efforts.
The wildfires are thought to have killed off a third of Australia's Koala population - whose numbers were already dangerously low before the flames.
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