A firefighting plane crashed on Mount Etna on Thursday and a search is underway to find the two pilots, Italian authorities said. “In the early afternoon, a fire brigade Canadair crashed while engaged in extinguishing a forest fire on Monte Calcinera“, in the province of Catania (Sicily), said the firefighters in a tweet.
“The aircraft would have crashed following the impact of the hull against the mountainous coast“, they added, specifying that the research was in progress. “There were several explosions after the crash. The plane is destroyed and firefighters are looking for the two pilots“Said Salvatore Cocina, regional director of civil protection, quoted by the Ansa agency. Mount Etna, which rises to 3,357 meters, is the highest active volcano in Europe, with frequent eruptions for around 500,000 years.