Russian offer to send heavy water bombers to Fort McMurray in limbo [View all]
MURRAY BREWSTER
OTTAWA — The Canadian Press
Published Monday, May 09, 2016 7:56AM EDT
Last updated Monday, May 09, 2016 8:11AM EDT
The Trudeau government has yet to respond to an offer by Russia to dispatch massive water bombers and fire fighting specialists to battle the growing inferno around Fort McMurray, Alta.
The proposal was made late last week by Vladimir Puchkov, the Russian minister of emergency measures.
A spokesman for Russia’s embassy in Ottawa, Kirill Kalinin, said Sunday that they continue to stand “ready to help our Canadian partners to fight the ongoing wildfires in Alberta.”
The offer involves sending converted Ilyushin Il-76 transport planes — the kind occasionally leased by the Canadian military — that can dump as much as “42 tons of fire retardant into fire spots,” according to a statement on the web site of Russia’s Civil Defence, Emergencies and Elimination of Consequences of Natural Disasters.
In addition, Moscow said it has “rescuers and specialists with necessary equipment” ready to help on the ground, if need be.
Full article: http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/russian-offer-to-send-heavy-water-bombers-to-fort-mac-in-limbo/article29935985/
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