Russia Sends 5 Planes, 3 Helicopters to Help Turkey Put Out Wildfires: Erdogan's Office

Russia has sent five Il-76 aircraft and three Mi-8 helicopters to help Turkey extinguish wildfires ravaging the country's south, the Turkish presidential office said on Saturday.

Earlier in the day Russian President Vladimir Putin discussed the issue with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and confirmed that Moscow would further help Ankara in putting out the wildfires.

"Our president held a phone conversation with ... Putin. Erdogan thanked Putin for sending five Il-76 aircraft with a water intake of 40 tonnes and three Mi-8 firefighting helicopters to Turkey to extinguish the wildfires. In turn, the Russian president wished so that the situation returns to normal as soon as possible," the office said in a statement.

The Russian Ministry of Emergency Situations said that it, along with the defense ministry, would dispatch 11 pieces of equipment at Ankara's request to help its efforts to put out the fires.

Russia, which itself is facing strong wildfires, has managed to stabilize the situation across the country and, therefore, can give a hand to Turkey suffering from the same natural disaster, the ministry noted.

Earlier in the week, fires broke out in the Mediterranean and Aegean regions of Turkey. To date, six people were confirmed dead and 183 injured as a result of the natural disaster. (ANI/Sputnik)

( With inputs from ANI )