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Russian aircraft to help combat Indonesia's forest fire

Xinhua, October 20, 2015 Adjust font size:

Two Russian aircraft with the capacity of carrying 12,000 tonnes of water along with 20 personal will arrive in Indonesia on Wednesday to help dousing forest fire in the country, a disaster agency official said here on Tuesday.

The new aids came after Malaysia and Australia withdrew their aircraft for water bombing on Monday due to the expiration of their 5-day mission schedules in Indonesia, Sutopo Purwo Nugroho, spokesman of the national disaster management agency, disclosed.

"To increase the strength, Indonesia invites two units of amphibian Beriev Be-200 aircraft along with 20 crew members. They will arrive in Palembang of South Sumatra on Wednesday,"Sutopo told Xinhua via phone.

Previously, President Joko Widodo has sought foreign help to combat the fire, asking them to send aircraft with capability to bring more waters for water bombing as the country only has planes with the capacity of 5,000 litters of water.

Forest and agriculture fires have expanded to other major islands in eastern part of Indonesia as the country has weeks scrambled to extinguish the fire in Sumatra Island and Borneo Island in western and central parts of the country.

Indonesia has been battered by forest fires since the 1990s and this year it is exacerbated by El Nino phenomenon. Endit