Nine paratroopers killed tackling Tuva fire - agency
MOSCOW. June 6 (Interfax) - Nine firefighting soldiers from the Russian Airborne Troops were killed while trying to put out a wildfire in Tuva's Baitaginsky district, the Russian Federal Forestry Agency (Rosleskhoz) told Interfax.
"A large wildfire erupted on a 500-hectare area in the Bairun-Khemchinsky forest district. A group of 13 firefighting paratroopers was involved in extinguishing the fire. According to the latest reports, four people came back from the scene, nine were killed," the agency said.
All those killed were professionally trained, had professional skills and experience in tackling wildfires, the agency said. The deaths of firefighting paratroopers are being investigated.
Meanwhile the wildfire is raging within 20 kilometers from a village of Kara-Khol and poses no risk to it. A state of emergency has been imposed across the Republic of Tuva since June 5. To help local firefighting services the forestry agency has sent 100 firefighting paratroopers from its federal reserve.