Aerial firefighting plane burns on mountaintop in Spain

A crashed plane burns on a mountaintop after taking part in a forest firefighting operation, killing one of the two pilots on board. The aerial firefighting plane was being used to battle a forest blaze in the Baixa Lima-Serra do Xures National Park in the north-western Spanish province of Ourense, on the border with northern Portugal, when it encountered a problem while scooping water. A 65-year-old pilot of Portuguese origin died during the plane crash while his Spanish colleague suffered multiple injuries and was hospitalised in Portugal. The Portuguese health authorities have said that the unnamed pilot is “stable and out of danger”, according to local newspaper Faro de Vigo. Spanish newspaper La Region said the Canadair CL-215 aerial firefighting plane crashed while attempting to scoop water to drop on the forest blaze. The aircraft was reportedly owned by the company Badcock which carries out operations for the Portuguese government. The pilots were fighting a forest fire in the Baixa Lima-Serra do Xures National Park in Galicia, and the plane was sent from Portugal to assist.