untitled design

Absolute alarm in Turkey: The fire is approaching the Milas power station

The fires that have been raging for a week in southern Turkey are approaching the Milas thermal power plant, while Thousands flee in front of fire that has killed eight people.

“If we can not stop the fire by air …, it will be directed to the power station. The situation is very serious, “said the mayor of Milas, Muhamed Tokat, in a video on Twitter.

Turkey has been hit by the biggest wildfires in at least the last decade, burning forests and rural areas, as well as residential areas off the Turkish coast.

Terrified tourists and residents are removed by sea from the fire zones fueled by the extremely high temperatures and winds. Breeders evacuate the stables and transport the animals to the shores to save them.

High temperatures, above 40 ° in many Turkish cities have caused a sharp increase in energy consumption, having led yesterday to power outages in major cities such as Ankara and Istanbul.

Lack of aerial firefighting equipment

The European Union (EU) has sent three firefighting planes to help Turkey deal with the fires that have been raging in the south for six days, stepping up pressure on President Tayyip Erdogan, who has been criticized for managing the crisis.

Two Canadair from Spain and one from Croatia were sent to Turkey under the European Union Civil Protection Mechanism.

“The European Union expresses its full solidarity with Turkey at this difficult time.” “Our thoughts are with the Turkish people who have lost loved ones and the courageous emergency response teams that are doing everything they can to deal with the deadly fires,” said European Crisis Management Commissioner Janes Lenarcic.

Prior to EU assistance, Turkey had borrowed firefighting aircraft from Russia, Ukraine, Azerbaijan and Iran.

Of the 145 fires that have broken out over the past seven days across Turkey, nine remain active, according to Turkish authorities.

Criticism against Erdogan

According to official figures, these fires are the most serious in at least a decade, with 950,000 acres burned so far in 2021, compared to 135,160 by the end of July from 2008 to 2020.

Tayyip Erdogan came under fire when it was revealed that Turkey has no firefighting aircraft, as the problem of fires in the country, one-third of which is covered by forests, worsens.

The CHP, Turkey’s main opposition party, has blamed the president for dismantling the infrastructure of a semi-public body run by Turkish Canadair.

“I will cry out in anger,” Milas Mayor Tokat wrote on Twitter, asking in vain for a firefighting aircraft to be sent to his area. A member of the CHP, he is one of the strongest critics of the Turkish president for managing the crisis.

In the face of social media outcry over the ineffective response to the fires, Turkish Presidency Chief of Staff Faredin Altun warned of “fake news” designed to “present Turkey as weak”.

The Ministry of Defense and the Ministry of Interior announced that they are mobilizing their military forces to help the 5,000 firefighters.

Turkish police water pumps, commonly used to disperse protesters, have also been deployed to deal with the fires.

Source Link

You may also like

Get the latest

Stay Informed: Get the Latest Updates and Insights

 

Most popular