ANKARA

Ankara has sent two firefighting aircraft to assist in ongoing efforts to extinguish a wildfire in the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC), the Turkish vice president said on Thursday.

During a working visit to the TRNC, Fuat Oktay and TRNC President Ersin Tatar flew over the northern village of Mersinlik in a helicopter to inspect the wildfire.

At a joint press conference with Tatar, he said Türkiye’s Agriculture and Forestry Ministry has sent two firefighting planes to help douse the blaze.

Teams from various departments, including the Cyprus Turkish Peace Forces, are working dedicatedly to extinguish the fire, he said.

After being briefed by TRNC officials, Oktay called Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to give him an update on the situation.

“Four firefighting aircraft and four helicopters are engaged in aerial operations. Two of the aircraft came from Türkiye and one of the helicopters is also ours. The rest are from the Greek Cypriot administration,” he said.

He said some 300 personnel are battling the blaze, adding that the fire has so far damaged nearly 4,500 acres of land.