Azerbaijan sends amphibious aircraft to help extinguish wildfires in Turkey
By Vugar Khalilov
Azerbaijan sent the BE-200CS amphibious aircraft to Turkey on August 5 to fight wildfires that have swept through the country.
The Ministry of Emergency Situations said that in line with the presidential instruction, the third group of fire and rescue forces of the ministry is leaving for brotherly Turkey today at 10:00 (GMT+4) to extinguish forest fires and prevent their spread to a wider territory.
Along with the 150 fire-fighters, 40 pieces of fire-fighting equipment will also be sent to Turkey, the ministry reported.
It should be noted that Azerbaijan sent its first fire-fighting forces (100 fire-fighters) to Turkey on July 30 and the second group (1 helicopter, 53 fire engine and special rescue equipment, 1 ambulance, 220 fire-fighters and rescuers) on July 31.
Moreover, on August 2, senior officials of Azerbaijan’s Ministry of Emergency Situations (MES) headed by Deputy Minister Etibar Mirzayev arrived in Turkey to discuss the fire-fighting measures with their Turkish counterparts.
On August 4, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan once again thanked Azerbaijan for its support to Turkey in fighting wildfires.
“The most important support came from Azerbaijan. To date, about 200 fire-fighters have been sent from Azerbaijan,"Erdogan said.
At least eight people have died in wildfires in Turkey’s southeastern regions.
The wildfires broke out on 28 July near the Mediterranean coastal resort town of Manavgat, in Antalya province and spread to other regions across Turkey.
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