Russian water dropping plane Be-200 crashes in Turkey during a firefighting mission, 8 dead

 Russia's water bomber plane crashes in Turkey; 8 declared dead

Russia's water jet crashed in Turkey during a firefighting operation. The plane was carrying eight people, who were already dead.

The Be-200 aircraft was fitted with firefighting equipment. Get off in Turkey around 1:30 pm GMT near the southern city of Adana.

Five Russian soldiers and three Turkish civilians were on board, all of whom died in the crash, authorities said.
(ads2)
Russian firefighters assisted in fighting wildfires in Turkey. The plane was flown to Turkey after Russia pledged to send 200 planes under a firefighting plan in July.

While local authorities rushed to the scene of the accident, they were unable to save anyone aboard the water plane.

This year's wildfire has shocked authorities as even one of the coldest regions of the city, Yakutsk, has recorded temperatures above 100 degrees Fahrenheit.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has warned of "unprecedented" incidents. "In the south (of Russia), the rainy season now comes in a few hours and in the Far East, instead, forest fires in drought conditions are spreading rapidly," Putin said.