Russia says firefighting aircraft crashes in Turkey

Russia’s defence ministry said on Saturday that five Russian servicemen and three Turkish citizens were on board a Be-200 firefighting aircraft that has crashed in Turkey, Interfax news agency reported.

The plane crashed near Adana when it was about to land, the military said.

There were no details on any casualties yet.

The death toll from wildfires on Turkey’s southern coast rose to eight as firefighters battled to contain blazes still raging in coastal resort towns.

Two more people died on Sunday due to wildfires in the southern town of Manavgat, Health Minister Fahrettin Koca said, adding that 10 others were receiving treatment in hospital in the area.

Most of more than 100 blazes that erupted in Turkey in the last five days have been contained, authorities said. However, fires were still blazing in Manavgat and in Marmaris and the inland town of Milas, Forestry Minister Bekir Pakdemirli said, prompting the evacuation of some residential areas and hotels.

The fires had already claimed the lives of five people in Manavgat and one person in Marmaris in recent days. Efforts were being made to put out six fires still blazing in Turkey on Sunday, according to Forestry Ministry data.