spot_img
27.3 C
Philippines
Sunday, November 24, 2024

Turkey battles forest fires for fourth day

Fire crews tackled blazes for a fourth day as the number of people killed in forest fires sweeping through southern Turkey rose to six on Saturday, state media reported.

Turkey battles forest fires for fourth day
A pedestrian walks through the smoke as a massive wildfire which engulfed a Mediterranean resort region on Turkey's southern coast near the town of Manavgat, on July 30, 2021. At least three people were reported dead on July 29, 2021 and more than 100 injured as firefighters battled blazes engulfing a Mediterranean resort region on Turkey's southern coast. Officials also launched an investigation into suspicions that the fires that broke out Wednesday in four locations to the east of the tourist hotspot Antalya were the result of arson. AFP

The wildfires broke out on Wednesday and have since injured more than 300 and forced the evacuation of villages and hotels.

- Advertisement -

The toll rose after the bodies of two workers who had been trying to put out the fires were found, state news agency Anadolu reported.

The agency said another fire began on Saturday in the tourist city of Bodrum with other reports saying people had been evacuated from their homes and hotels.

Ten fires are still going and another 88 have been brought under control since Wednesday, Agriculture and Forestry Minister Bekir Pakdemirli tweeted.

Investigators are trying to establish if some of the fires were started deliberately.

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan thanked Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin during a phone call for sending planes and helicopters to help, the presidency said.

The Turkish leader has taken flak at home after it emerged that Turkey had no firefighting planes despite one-third of its territory being forested and fires becoming an increasing problem.

"The main reason for these issues with planes is that the Turkish Aeronautical Association has not been able to update its fleet and technology," Erdogan said during a visit to the town of Manavgat, one of the affected areas.

More than 2,600 fires have erupted each year on average in the last decade, but that figure jumped to almost 3,400 last year, said Husrev Ozkara, vice chair of the Turkish Foresters Association.

LATEST NEWS

Popular Articles