An Ilyushin-76 aircraft belonging to Russia’s Ministry of Emergency Situations has been sent to Serbia to help fight forest fires, the ministry’s press service announced today.
“On the order of Russian President Vladimir Putin, an Il-76 aircraft with a crew and an operational emergency response team has been sent to the Republic of Serbia to fight forest fires,” Russia’s Ministry of Emergency Situations said in a statement provided to Sputnik.
It was stated that the request for assistance came directly from the Serbian side, which turned to Russia for help due to the critical worsening of the wildfire situation and the threat to populated areas.
Dozens of fires are still active across Serbia, with the Stolovi mountain near Kraljevo and the Deliblato Sands among the most serious hotspots. Meanwhile, a state of emergency has been declared in part of the Kladovo municipality after a major fire spread across more than 800 hectares in the areas of Velesnica, Podvrška and Velika Kamenica.
On August 17, Serbia’s Emergency Management Sector recorded a total of 201 interventions, including 146 outdoor fires, in one of which a person lost their life, Davor Vidović, assistant head of the Fire and Rescue Units Administration of the Emergency Management Sector, said earlier.
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Source: RTV, Foto: Dmitriy Pichugin – http://www.airliners.net