He noted that water was taken from the nearest convenient reservoir in accordance with all firefighting rules.
According to him, a forest fire occurred near the houses, over which the plane was flying at a safe height.
“That is, there are two options: either the planes take water and put it out, or the forest is on fire.
The Turkish authorities reacted to this understanding, they did not demand any explanations from us, ”RIA Novosti quotes Mollaev.
He stressed that the route is determined by agreement with the dispatcher, the crew consists of Russian and Turkish pilots, and a representative of the forestry is on board.
Earlier, the Milliyet newspaper wrote that the Turkish authorities had requested information from the Be-200ES crew.
It was reported that after taking water, it flew close to residential buildings in Lara, which caused concern among local residents.