MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 05th August, 2021) Greece will dispatch military to assist firefighters in containing the intense wildfires raging across the country, Defense Minister Nikolaos Panagiotopoulos said on Thursday.
"After the meeting that we had earlier today with Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis and the Armed Forces Chief of Staff, we decided to actively engage the Hellenic armed forces to act proactively and assist the firefighting teams in their efforts to contain the wildfires," the minister told a press conference.
The assistance will involve 500 troops and 63 vehicles, including earth movers, as well as 39 planes and helicopters for aerial firefighting and air patrolling, Konstantinos Floros, the chief of the Hellenic National Defense General Staff, said at the same presser.
Greece and other countries in the southeast Mediterranean region are experiencing a severe heatwave. Temperatures are rising to 44 degrees Celsius (111.2 degrees Fahrenheit), which, in combination with the dry climate and strong winds, have fueled intense wildfires throughout the area in recent weeks.
