MOSCOW. May 23 (Interfax) - The Russian Emergency Situations Ministry is increasing its aviation group to fight wildfires on the territories of the Urals, Siberia, and the Far East, Irina Andrianova, the head of the ministry's information department, told reporters on Friday.
"Eight aircrafts, including the firefighting tanker plane Il-76, five Mi-6 helicopters, and two Mi-26 helicopters are now working in the Urals, Siberia, and the Far East," she said.
Another two Emergency Situations Ministry firefighting planes, an Il-76 tanker and a Be-200ChS amphibious plane, will leave Moscow for Krasnoyarsk in the near future, Andrianova said. The aircraft will be able to throw 42 and 12 tonnes of water on the fires, respectively.