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2 Russian multipurpose jets arrive in Indonesia to help douse massive forest fires

Associated Press
Published | Updated

Russian crew members walk on the tarmac in front of a Beriev Be-200 amphibious firefighting jet at the haze-blanketed Sultan Mahmud Baddarudin II Airport in Palembang, South Sumatra, Indonesia, Wednesday, Oct. 21, 2015. Two Be-200 aircrafts leased by the Indonesian government have arrived on Sumatra island to help douse the massive forest fires that have caused widespread haze in parts of Southeast Asia. (AP Photo/Bagus Kurniawan) (The Associated Press)

Despite the thick haze, construction resumes in front of Malaysia's landmark buildings, Kuala Lumpur Tower, centre left, and Petronas Twin Towers, center right, in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, Wednesday, Oct. 21, 2015. Malaysian schools remain closed for a third day due to the haze situation. (AP Photo/Joshua Paul) (The Associated Press)

Russian Beriev Be-200 amphibious firefighting jets are parked on the tarmac at the haze-blanketed Sultan Mahmud Baddarudin II Airport in Palembang, South Sumatra, Indonesia, Wednesday, Oct. 21, 2015. Two Be-200 aircrafts leased by the Indonesian government have arrived on Sumatra island to help douse the massive forest and land fires that have caused widespread haze in parts of Southeast Asia. (AP Photo/Bagus Kurniawan) (The Associated Press)

Two Russian multipurpose jets have arrived on Indonesia's Sumatra island to help douse massive forest fires that have caused widespread haze in parts of Southeast Asia.

National Disaster Mitigation Agency spokesman Sutopo Purwo Nugroho says the two Beriev Be-200 amphibious planes, leased by Indonesia's government, landed Wednesday in Palembang, the capital of South Sumatra province.

The planes, sent by Russia's Emergencies Ministry, can drop 12.5 tons of water. They can fly about 645 kilometers (400 miles) per hour and suck 13,250 liters (3,500 gallons) of water from a river or sea in seconds.

Indonesia has been unable to put out the rugged forest fires, especially in peat-rich provinces on Sumatra and Borneo.

The fires have created a thick, smoky haze in Indonesia as well as Malaysia, Singapore and Thailand.