Three US firefighters died in the crash of the C-130 aircraft in Australia's New South Wales, local media reported Thursday.
The cause of the crash has not been established yet and there will be no public identification of the victims until their families have been notified, Rural Fire Service Commissioner Shane Fitzsimmons said, according to the Sydney Morning Herald newspaper.
The Australian authorities have lost contact with a firefighting plane in the southeastern state of New South Wales (NSW), the regional Rural Fire Service said on Thursday.
Australia is currently witnessing the worst wildfire disaster in its history, with many planes fighting the blazes.