The European Union’s Civil Protection Mechanism sent helicopters and firefighters to help Serbia fight a massive wildfire in a nature reserve in the northeast of the country, the head of the European Union mission to Belgrade said.
Serbia activated the EU Civil Protection Mechanism after struggling for weeks with a wildfire in Deliblatska Pescara, a unique landscape of dunes and woods about 80 km (50 miles) from Belgrade, as well as other blazes in the southwest.
“We stand with Serbia in protecting lives, livelihoods and the unique natural heritage of Deliblatska Sands,” Andreas Beckerath, Head of the EU mission to Belgrade, wrote on X.
Luka Causic, head of Serbia’s Department for Emergencies, said European aid includes four Black Hawk firefighting helicopters from Romania, Slovakia and the Czech Republic. It also includes 55 firefighters and 24 vehicles from Germany, and 69 firefighters and 15 vehicles from Romania.
One helicopter each from Romania and Slovakia joined firefighting efforts on Saturday (22 August), while two Czech helicopters are due to begin operations Sunday, Serbia’s Interior Ministry said.
Romanian firefighters and vehicles have also arrived in Bela Crkva, near the fire. A German team is expected to arrive on 24 August, it said.
Serbia is not an EU member but can access emergency assistance through the bloc’s Civil Protection Mechanism.
This summer, Belgrade sent a firefighting helicopter and emergency response team to Spain to help combat wildfires after repeated blazes across Europe strained EU resources.
A Russian Emergencies Ministry IL-76P firefighting plane landed in the southern Serbian city of Nis on Wednesday to tackle the Deliblatska Pescara wildfire, which has destroyed thousands of hectares of pine forest since late July.
Causic said the situation was more stable on Saturday, but strong winds were expected, with protecting settlements and human lives remaining the priority.
Other major wildfires were also active in the rugged Stolovi mountain range in southwestern Serbia.
In neighbouring North Macedonia, a major wildfire was raging in the municipality of Strumica, south of Skopje. According to media reports, at least one house caught fire in the village of Sofilar.
Elon Musk’s SpaceX has launched its latest Starship flight into orbit, but failed to recover the rocket’s giant booster. ...
As Central Asia expands its hydropower infrastructure and high-rise construction, seismologists are examining whether large mountain reservoirs cou...
The U.S. Federal Aviation Administ...
European leaders gathered in Dublin on Thursday, 12 November, for the ninth European Political Community (EPC) summit, with security, defence and energy high on the agenda. Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev held talks focused on peace, trade and regional cooperation.
Nvidia chief executive Jensen Huang is stepping down amid reports linking him to a woman suspected by U.S. authorities of spying for China, throwing the future of the $4 trillion chipmaker into uncertainty.
Kazakhstan’s security service has arrested Nurlan Zhakupov, CEO of Samruk-Kazyna, the country’s sovereign wealth fund, on suspicion of corruption. Yelzhas Otynshiyev, Chairman of KTZ, Kazakhstan’s national railway firm has also been detained.
Eight people have been killed and at least 17 injured after an apartment building collapsed into a neighbouring construction site in Brooklyn, New York, as rescuers continued searching the rubble for possible survivors.
Iran’s Assembly of Experts has backed withdrawing from the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) and overhauling the country’s defence doctrine, calling both steps essential to national security and deterrence.
Elon Musk’s SpaceX has launched its latest Starship flight into orbit, but failed to recover the rocket’s giant booster. The 15th test flight lifted off from Starbase in the U.S. state of Texas on Friday (13 November).
The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration lifted a nationwide ground stop on Friday (13 November) after a communications failure at air traffic control centres caused chaos at airports and triggered the longest nationwide shutdown since the 9/11 attacks in 2001.
The son of former CIA Director John Brennan has been charged with “transportation of child pornography”, according to court documents and a U.S. law enforcement official.
BMW is recalling more than 720,000 vehicles in the U.S. over a fire risk, warning owners to park outside and away from buildings until repairs are completed. The recall follows 10 reported fires involving cars previously repaired for the same fault.
The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) says 3.7 million children in Afghanistan are suffering from acute malnutrition, as worsening drought and funding shortages threaten to deepen the crisis amid the COP31 climate summit in Türkiye.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment