This afternoon, a dangerous maneuver by a fire helicopter prevented tourists from relaxing on Konyaalti beach in the Turkish resort of Antalya. For some unknown reason, the crew of the aircraft involved in the elimination of fires in urban parks decided to take water into the sea literally 30 m from the shore.
Photos and videos from the place are published on social networks. The powerful airflow from the propeller blades on the beach turned over sun beds, tore out of the sand and scattered umbrellas. No injuries have been reported yet, but people had to endure fear. “The children were very scared,” “Only by a lucky chance no one was injured by the beach equipment flying through the air,” eyewitnesses write on social networks.
As she told the portal TourDom.ru Maria Sheker, a travel agent living in Antalya, has a lot of freediving in Konyaalti. Far from the shore, ordinary vacationers sometimes swim behind the buoys. Therefore, the inexplicable maneuvers of a fire helicopter over the water area could lead to tragic consequences. Taking water into the sea to extinguish fires is a common practice, but it is usually done at a considerable distance from beaches.
On July 17, two fires had to be eliminated in Antalya – in Hayat Park and on Termessos Boulevard. Despite the hot weather, large-scale fires at the resort have so far been prevented. Firefighters are quickly involved in fighting the fire, in addition, the spread of flames in the pine forests adjacent to the resort is hindered by heavy rains, which have been frequent in the mountainous area in recent days, Maria Sheker explained.
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