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Search on for chopper after crash in thick bush
October 31, 2006 01:29pm


A HELICOPTER with two people aboard has crashed in the Hunter region of NSW.

The helicopter had come down somewhere in Coolah Tops in the Upper Hunter area, an NRMA CareFlight spokesman said. .

An NRMA CareFlight helicopter left Orange at 12.30pm (AEDT) with a trauma doctor and ambulance paramedic on board to search for the aircraft.

The pilot made an emergency call to Australian Search and Rescue (ASR) after the helicopter had gone down in the rugged highland area.

He said he and his passenger were OK but did not indicate the condition of the aircraft or what had gone wrong, an ASR spokeswoman said.

A severe thunderstorm over the area had prevented rescuers from reaching the site, the CareFlight spokesman said.

"It's quite a high area, it's part of the Great Dividing Range and it's often difficult to get in there," the spokesman said.

"It is possible rescue personnel will have to be winched down from a helicopter once the lightning subsides," he said.

The Coolah Tops area is about 30km northeast of Coolah and 100km southwest of Tamworth.

Article from: AAP

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