Over 1,300 tons of water have been dropped by special firefighting aircraft dispatched by Russia’s Emergencies Ministry to help fight outbreaks of wildfires in Turkey, the ministry said.
"Since aviation was engaged, 138 water drop sorties have been completed; this represents about 1,300 tons of water containing firefighting foam," the emergency management agency said.
Over the past 24 hours, the Emergencies Ministry’s Be-200 aircraft have extinguished wildfires in the vicinity of the town of Cesme in far-western Turkey, having dropped 117 tons of water on areas engulfed by the flames.
"The threat of the wildfires spreading to adjacent territory and a small population center was eliminated. Earlier, a fire was extinguished in the vicinity of the town of Germencik," the statement reads.
Aviation dispatched by the Russian Emergencies Ministry is being deployed at the most difficult locations along the entire Turkish coast. Fire suppression efforts are being complicated by strong winds, rugged terrain and uneven conditions for the uptake of water, including from mountain lakes.
