(BSS/AFP) - Seven people died when a firefighting helicopter in Argentina`s western San Juan province crashed on Wednesday, a local official said.

The Bell 412 aircraft had been training before heading to a neighboring province to help put out days-long fires when it crashed in Ischigualasto natural park.

It lost contact with base on Wednesday morning at around 10:30 am (1330 GMT).

"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 Governor Marcelo Orrego wrote on X.

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

The causes of the accident were under investigation and a rescue team had been deployed, emergency services stated.

Argentine Security Minister Alejandra Monteoliva expressed her condolences on X.

"I stand with each of the families and their fellow officers in this moment of profound grief," she wrote.

A local journalist and friend of one of the victims, police officer German Videla, told TN television channel that the pair had been in contact about an hour before the crash.

The helicopter "shattered into a thousand pieces. It`s shocking," said journalist Mauricio Davila, who had also spoken with rescue teams at the crash site.

San Juan`s local government declared three days of mourning following the accident, during which the national and provincial flags will be flown at half-mast.

La Rioja, a semi-arid region roughly the size of Austria, has been grappling with several forest fires in mountainous areas since the beginning of the week.

Hundreds of hectares have burned in just three days, local firefighters told AFP.