A water tanker plane fighting wildfires in Australia is feared to have crashed.

Rural Fire Service officials said helicopters were looking for the plane after contact was lost in the Snowy Monaro region of New South Wales.

The service said: “Local ground crews indicate the aircraft may have crashed.

“A number of helicopters are in the area carrying out a search.”

Meanwhile, Canberra Airport was closed on Thursday owing to nearby blazes, and residents south of Australia’s capital were told to seek shelter.

The fire started on Wednesday but strong winds and high temperatures caused conditions in Canberra to deteriorate.

A second fire near the airport that started on Thursday morning is at the “watch and act” level.

“Arrivals and departures are affected due to aviation firefighting operations,” the airport authority said in a tweet.