Seven people died when a firefighting helicopter in San Juan province crashed on Wednesday, a local official said.

The Bell 412 aircraft was used to combat forest fires in Ischigualasto natural park, a nature reserve in the western province located some 1,200 kilometres from Buenos Aires.

"With profound sorrow we received the news of the helicopter accident that occurred in our province, in which seven people sadly lost their lives," San Juan Province Governor Marcelo Orrego wrote on X.

Fatalities included firefighters, police officers and civil protection personnel, he said.

Among the dead were four officials from the provincial government: Marcelo Videla (deputy chief of police), Rubén Castro (chief of provincial fire service), Carlos Heredia (director of civil protection) and Jorge Carbajal (deputy chief of the provincial fire service).

The helicopter lost contact with base on Wednesday morning at around 10.30am local time, emergency services said.

It had been heading for the neighbouring La Rioja Province to help control a forest fire there, according to a statement, which added that the causes of the accident were "under investigation."

Rescue teams were dispatched to the area, which was described by local media as remote and particularly difficult to access.

– TIMES/AFP