Two Russian planes with aid arrive, two helicopters sent

Two Russian planes with aid arrive, two helicopters sent

A second airplane with 38 of relief cargo left Russia's capital at 7:30 Moscow time.

Both aircraft have in the meantime landed in Serbia.

The Russian Emergencies Ministry also dispatched two helicopters to save and evacuate people affected in a flood. “Two helicopters Kamov Ka-32 departed from the Moscow regional airfield Ramenskoye to the city of Niš on Gomel-Brest-Bratislava-Niš route. These aircrafts are to fly more than 2,300 kilometers,” the ministry spokesman said.

“Ka-32 crews which have huge working experience in emergency situations will search for and save flood-affected people in Serbia. They will conduct a terrain reconnaissance, evacuate flood-hit people and will deliver required goods to hard-to-reach localities,” Drobyshevsky added.

In Niš, Deputy Director of the Russian-Serbian Humanitarian Center Nikolai Sukora told reporters that hard times reveal true friends, and that Russia sent everything Serbia requested.

"Russia is providing all assistance to our brotherly Serbia," Sukora said. 76 Russian rescuers with two special vehicles and ten boats have been working in Serbia since Friday morning, led by the Russian Emergency Situations Ministry chief military expert Eduard Chizhikov.

On Friday, the Russian team rescued more than 400 people from the flooded town of Obrenovac.

Regional countries, including Slovenia, Macedonia and Montenegro, have sent rescue teams and aid, while 14 out of EU's 28 member-states responded to the appeal of the Serbian government for help.

On Sunday, a helicopter dispatched by the EU mission in Kosovo, EULEX, arrived in Belgrade. EU Delegation in Serbia head Michael Davenport on Sunday said the organization was ready to allocate funds for the recovery efforts.

Among the countries that decided to help by sending rescuers, equipment, food, medicines, or by making donations are France, Italy, the Czech Republic, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, Bulgaria, Germany, Austria, Britain, Slovakia, Belgium, Luxembourg, Israel, Japan, Hungary, and the United States.

At the same time, many countries dispatched aid to neighboring Bosnia-Herzegovina which has also been hard-hit by the floods.