7 Killed as Bell 412 Helicopter Crashes in Argentina's San Juan Province

Seven people were killed July 29 when a Bell 412 helicopter, registration LV-KGR, crashed in a remote area of Ischigualasto Provincial Park near Villa San Agustín, San Juan Province, Argentina. The aircraft was contracted by Argentina's Federal Emergency Agency (Agencia Federal de Emergencias, AFE) and was conducting training for firefighting brigades before relocating to La Rioja Province to support forest fire containment operations, according to reports from Euronews and Xinhua.

Authorities said the helicopter lost contact with coordination units at approximately 10:26 a.m. local time. A search and rescue operation was launched after another aircraft spotted the wreckage in a natural depression roughly 20 meters below the surrounding terrain, according to Infobae. San Juan Gov. Marcelo Orrego confirmed all seven occupants perished in the accident.

Victims and Investigation

Among the dead were Rubén Castro, chief of San Juan's firefighting service; Jorge Carbajal, second-in-command of firefighters; Carlos Heredia, director of Civil Protection; and Germán Videla, deputy chief of the San Juan Police. Also killed were pilot Matías Valenzuela and AFE brigade members Andrés Bosch and Rodrigo Aimetta, according to 0264 Noticias. Argentina's national transport safety board (Junta de Seguridad en el Transporte) has opened a formal investigation. Aviation experts cited by Infobae cautioned that no technical or meteorological cause has yet been determined, and that speculation about the accident's origin remains premature.