One of the large aircraft used for water bombing in Australia is feared to have crashed.

The Rescue Services Agency (RFS) said in a press release that a number of helicopters are now searching for the aircraft, after contact was lost with it this afternoon, local time. The aircraft disappeared in the Snowy Monaro area in southern New South Wales.

No flights are currently taking off or landing at the airport in the Australian capital Canberra due to bushfires. However, the terminal has not had to be evacuated, the airport said on Twitter.

A heat wave has swept across the southeastern parts of the country, with temperatures well above 40 degrees, causing several fires to take off after a week of calmer conditions.

Train services between Sydney and Canberra are also affected, reports The Sydney Morning Herald.

Source: TT