Russia dispatches aircraft to fight forest fires in Serbia

Moscow, July 25 (UNI) Russia has dispatched an Il-76 tanker plane and a Mi-26 firefighting helicopter to help Serbia extinguish devastating forest fires in the country.

Responding to the request by Serbian Prime Minister Vojislav Kostunica, President Vladimir Putin yesterday ordered Russian Emergency Situations Minister Sergei Shoigu to organise assistance to Serbia to help put out a number of forest fires.

''The critical situation is causing enormous losses and is a threat to the lives and health of Serbian citizens,'' Mr Koctunica told Mr Putin.

''An Il-76 firefighting plane left the city of Plovdiv in Bulgaria for the Serbian city of Nis to tackle large wildfires in the area,'' a spokesman for Emergency Situations Ministry Viktor Beltsov told Russian television stations.

He said both aircrafts would remain in the affected areas of Serbia, a long-time Russian ally, until the wildfires were extinguished.

UNI