A Mi-26 helicopter carrying rescue workers landed at the Lipki airfield. The helicopter of the Belarusian Emergencies Ministry came from Turkey where it was fighting forest fires in mountainous areas, BelTA learned from the ministry's website.

The helicopter lifted off from the Corlu airfield, Turkey and spent seven hours in flight. The total flying time exceeded 62 hours. The helicopter performed 28 flights in Turkey where it dropped water about 150 times (about 2,000 tonnes of water).

A Mi-26 helicopter is a multipurpose helicopter with the world's largest cargo carrying capacity. It is designed to transport up to 20 tonnes of vehicles and large cargoes inside the fuselage and as an external load. It can transport up to 82 people on seats or up to 60 patients and wounded on stretchers. For the sake of fighting fires it can carry an external water discharge device that can contain up to 15 tonnes of water.

According to the source, two Emergencies Ministry aviation crews flying Mi-8 helicopters continue working in Turkey.

Written by belta.by