Georgia Asks Foreign Countries for Help with Fire in Abastumani

Update 14:10 - Georgian prime Minister, Giorgi Kvirikashvili stated that Azerbaijan also expressed readiness to assist Georgia with its helicopter. 

"The fire in Abastumani is not as large-scale as it was in Borjomi...The fire liquidation works are actively underway. A plane from the Ukraine will join us soon and we will also receive a helicopter from Azerbaijan," he said.

12:00 - The Ministry of Internal Affairs (MIA) of Georgia confirms that they have addressed several foreign countries for help in order to timely extinguish fire in Abastumani forest, Samtskhe-Javakheti.

The Ministry added that Russia is not among these countries.

Ukraine has sent a firefighting aircraft, АН-32П, belonging to the Ukrainian State Emergency Service, which is on its way from Odessa to the Georgian city of Batumi.

The decision was made after the Georgian Prime Minister Giorgi Kvirikashvili had a phone conversation with the Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko on Tuesday night.

The ambassador of Turkey, Zeki Levent Gumrukcu stated that Turkey is ready to assist Georgia with two helicopters and one firefighting aircraft.

"We are now ready to help the Georgian side and get involved in fire liquidation works,” the ambassador stated.

Since the Wednesday morning additional manpower and equipment has been sent to the disaster zone, where the helicopter of Georgian Border Police is actively involved in firefighting activities.

Interior Minister Giorgi Mghebrishvili said that about 1,000 firefighters, rescuers and rangers are mobilized on the ground.

“Around 4 to 5 km of new road was cut last night in the woods for special equipment to reach the point of fire. Artificial reservoirs were also arranged for aviation,” the Minister added.

By Thea Morrison