Firefighting helicopter with three Kyrgyz citizens onboard crashes in Turkiye

Bishkek, Sept. 18, 2023. /Kabar/. A firefighting helicopter with three citizens of Kyrgyzstan onboard crashed in Turkiye,the press service of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Kyrgyz Republic reported.

On September 16 at 23.53 local time, a helicopter participating in eliminating a forest fire in the Menderes region (near the city of Izmir) crashed into the Tahtali dam.

According to information from the Turkish Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, there were 4 people in the helicopter, three of them were citizens of Kyrgyzstan. Currently, one crew member, a citizen of the Kyrgyz Republic, is in the hospital, and appropriate search operations are being carried out for the remaining citizens, the report said.

Employees of the Consulate General went to the scene of the incident to clarify the circumstances of the tragedy and provide the necessary assistance to citizens of Kyrgyzstan.

The Embassy of Kyrgyzstan in Turkiye and the Consulate General of the Kyrgyz Republic in Istanbul are in constant contact with the relevant services in Izmir and keep this issue under special control.