Belgrade, 31 July 2024 (MIA) – Serbia’s Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Internal Affairs Ivica Dačić announced late Tuesday that, with the approval of Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić and Prime Minister Miloš Vučević, the Ministry of Internal Affairs will be sending two helicopters from the Helicopter Unit on Wednesday to assist the Emergency Sector members in combating the fire that spread from North Macedonia to the Kozjak area near Bujanovac, close to the Prohor Pchinjski Monastery, MIA’s Belgrade correspondent reported.

“Following the approval of the Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić and Prime Minister Miloš Vučević, the Ministry of Internal Affairs will be sending two helicopters from the Helicopter Unit on Wednesday to assist the Emergency Sector members in combating the fire that spread from North Macedonia to the Kozjak area near Bujanovac, close to the Prohor Pchinski Monastery,” according to the Ministry of Internal Affairs’ press release.

It adds that due to the spreading of the fire in the eastern part of North Macedonia, and based on an official request from the Crisis Management Center of the Government of North Macedonia, the Ministry of Internal Affairs will send an Agusta Bell 212 helicopter to the country, along with five members of the Helicopter Unit and a member of the Emergency Sector.

In the firefighting operation in North Macedonia, with the approval of their colleagues, 10 firefighter-rescuers are taking part with three vehicles, operating in the area of the village of Maglence to prevent the fire from spreading further towards Serbian territory.

According to the Serbian Ministry of Internal Affairs' press release, Minister Dačić said that 43 firefighter-rescuers with 14 vehicles from the fire departments of Vranje, Belgrade, Niš, Leskovac, Kruševac, Smederevo, Pančevo, Jagodina, and Kragujevac are engaged in fighting the fire on highly inaccessible terrain in the Kozjak region.

Photo: MIA archive