Iran assists Pakistan to extinguish wildfires

Tehran, May 24, IRNA – The Islamic Republic of Iran has dispatched an Ilyushin II-76 aircraft of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) to Baluchistan Province in Pakistan aimed at assisting the neighboring state in distinguishing wildfires in forests and pastures. Vast fires in jungles, pastures, and farms in some areas of Pakistan’s Baluchistan Province near Iranian border still continues, so Iran has announced that all bodies fighting wildfires are on full alert. Given the fact that Pakistan is suffering from lack of equipment to fight fires particularly in forest and mountainous areas, Pakistani Government has called on the Islamic Republic of Iran to assist the neighboring country in their fight against wildfires. Therefore, the General Staff of the Armed Forces of the Islamic Republic of Iran decided to dispatch a firefighting Ilyushin II-76 aircraft to the friendly country in order to initiate extinguishing wildfires in Baluchistan Province. The Ilyushin II-76 landed in Nur Khan Airbase in Rawalpindi, Punjab Province, and will fly to Baluchistan Province following loading water tanks. A number of officials from Pakistan’s air force and national crisis management as well as Iranian deputy ambassador Mohammad Sorkhabi and military attaché Mostafa Ghanbarpur were present in Nur Khan Airbase, once the Iranian aircraft landed on Monday night. The wildfires have affected a vast area, leaving three people dead and tens others injured. There are some reports that a number of people have disappeared in jungle area. Baluchistan Province has been involved with the wildfires for a week; the flames continued because of inaccessible nature, hot weather, and dry winds of the region. The Ilyushin Il-76 is a multi-purpose, fixed-wing and four-engine turbofan strategic airlifter, which was designed by the Soviet Union's Ilyushin design bureau in June 1974. The aircraft was first planned as a commercial freighter, as a replacement for the Antonov An-12. It was designed to deliver heavy machinery to remote deprived areas. Iran is using the aircraft for dropping water to assist the firefighters on the ground. Follow us on Twitter @IrnaEnglish