Russian Firefighting Plane Crashes in Turkey, Eight Killed: Interfax

Russian Firefighting Plane Crashes in Turkey, Eight Killed: Interfax
This screenshot shows a general view of the wreckage of a Russian Bombadier Be-200 aircraft at Kahramanmaras, southern Turkey, on Aug. 14, 2021. (Demiroren News Agency (DHA)/AFP via Getty Images)
Reuters
Updated:

MOSCOW/ANKARA—Eight people were killed when a Russian firefighting Be-200 plane crashed in Turkey on Saturday, the Russian defense ministry was cited by Interfax news agency as saying.

The Russian military said last month a Be-200, part of the Russian naval air forces, had been sent to help Turkey fight wildfires raging through southern coastal regions.

Turkey has been fighting the fires for the past two weeks, with most of them now brought under control.

“Five crew members from Russian military personnel and three citizens of Turkey who were spotting fire centers were killed,” the ministry said.

The Turkish defense ministry said another military plane and a helicopter were dispatched to the scene to help with the search operation.

By Maria Tsvetkova and Ece Toksabay