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Russia's Emergencies Ministry to beef up air group in Crimea

Helicopter medical module will be put on combat duty
Mi-8 helicopter (archive) ITAR-TASS/Yuri Mashkov
Mi-8 helicopter (archive)
© ITAR-TASS/Yuri Mashkov

MOSCOW, March 24. /ITAR-TASS/. The Russian Emergency Situations Ministry (EMERCOM) will beef up its aircraft group in Crimea for prompt response to emergencies, EMERCOM spokesman Aleksander Drobyshevsky told Itar-Tass.

At 10:30 MSK on Monday an EMERCOM helicopter (Mi-8) flew from Rostov-on-Don to Simferopol where it will be put on combat duty. “The aircraft group will be built up, and the training of medical and service personnel has been organised to this end,” Drobyshevsky said.

According to him, a helicopter medical module for the transportation of injured will be delivered there shortly.

“On Tuesday, March 25, Russia's Emergencies Minister Vladimir Puchkov will accept a report on the helicopter’s putting on combat duty,” the spokesman added.

The helicopter is planned to be engaged in the urgent delivery to emergency zones of EMERCOM response teams, rescuers, machinery, equipment and cargoes.

The helicopter will also be applied in air support of the activity of the EMERCOM main departments for the Republic of Crimea and Sevastopol, as well as for extinguishing natural and man-made fires, in support of search and rescue operations on the ground and in water areas and as a sanitary aircraft for the evacuation of injured from emergency areas.