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Turkey: fourth day in the fight against forest fires

2021-07-31T16:07:23.516Z


Firefighters fought forest fires in southern Turkey for the fourth day in a row on Saturday, while the death toll rose ...


Firefighters fought wildfires in southern Turkey for the fourth day in a row on Saturday, while the death toll rose to six people killed, official Turkish news agency Anadolu reported.

The death toll in the fires, which also left more than 300 injured, rose from four to six after the bodies of two workers were found trying to fight the flames, the agency said.

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A new fire broke out in the tourist town of Bodrum on Saturday, with residents and travelers having to be evacuated from their homes and hotels.

Ten fires were still raging in the region while 88 others have been brought under control since Wednesday, Agriculture and Forestry Minister Bekir Pakdemirli said in a tweet.

Investigators were trying to establish whether some fires had been started deliberately.

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan thanked his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin for sending planes and helicopters.

President Erdogan was the target of criticism when it turned out that Turkey did not have water bombers as the problem of fires worsened in the country with a third of the territory forested.

Responsibilities under debate

The main opposition party, the CHP (Republican People's Party, Social Democrat), accused the Turkish president of having dismantled the infrastructure of a semi-public organization that held water bombers.

"

The main reason for these problems with the planes is that the Turkish Aeronautical Association has not been able to modernize its fleet and its technology

", retorted Mr. Erdogan during a visit to Manavgat, city ​​affected by fires.

More than 2,600 fires have broken out on average each year over the past decade in Turkey, but that number has jumped to nearly 3,400 fires in 2020, according to Husrev Ozkara, vice president of the Turkish Foresters Association.

Source: lefigaro

All news articles on 2021-07-31

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