Firefighting planes are on site, you can't see them: Deputy minister to mayor

Deputy Interior Minister Mehmet Ersoy has told Milas Mayor Muhammet Tokat that the government sent firefighter planes to the site of a devastating fire, but that he can't see it. The ridiculous explanation was slammed by the mayor.

Thursday August 05 2021 03:50 pm

Duvar English

Deputy Interior Minister Mehmet Ersoy has told the mayor of southern Muğla province's Milas district mayor that firefighting planes were sent to the disaster area, but that he can't see them.

Fires have been ongoing in Turkey's southern provinces for over a week, mainly because of the lack of aerial support.

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan last week admitted that the country doesn't have a single firefighting plane, prompting outrage in the country.

Mayors from the main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP), including Milas Mayor Muhammet Tokat, have been calling on the government to provide aerial support to extinguish the fires.

Tokat said that he spoke to Ersoy during the initial days of the fire and that the deputy minister promised to provide assistance.

"He said, 'Relax. All the means of the state will be sent here. Two planes and three helicopters will be sent. A historic struggle will be put forward and the fire will be put out today.' But later, there were none," Tokat said, adding that he called the deputy minister to ask about the fate of the assistance.

"He said, 'Planes are coming, but you can't see them,'" he said.