‘Not in danger’: Russian consulate says no need to evacuate tourists from Turkish resort

ANKARA, July 29. /TASS/. The question of evacuating tourists from the Turkish resort town of Manavgat adjacent to the wildfire zone has not been considered, Russia’s Consulate General in Antalya told TASS on Thursday. "We continue to closely monitor the situation with the wildfire near Manavgat. Main tourist objects are located far from the risk zone, according to the local authorities with whom we maintain constant contact, they are not in danger. That’s why the issue of evacuating the tourists from the area adjacent to the wildfire zone was not considered. The Consulate General’s hotline was receiving some isolated calls by Russian tourists who were reporting fumes and smoke and also about power outages," the agency’s source said. "There was no information on Russians injured [as a result of the wildfires]," the diplomat added. It was also noted that "on the morning of July 29, the authorities managed to cope with the blazes on the majority of the territory of Manavgat and its environs." "According to officials, as a result of the natural disaster, one person was killed, over 60 people were injured. Residents of 18 blocks and villages were evacuated," Russia’s Consulate General reported. The fire broke out on July 28, not far from the resort town of Manavgat, due to extremely hot weather in the region, according to preliminary data. Read more