"The Il-76 water bomber landed at the Santiago airport, and it will soon start fighting fires in the areas where the situation has become the most dangerous," the statement reads.
Before arriving in Chile, the Il-76 aircraft equipped with spray tanks that can discharge up to 42 metric tons of water, undertook a transcontinental flight of some 9,300 miles from Moscow to Santiago making several stops for refueling.
On January 20, Chile declared a state of emergency over wildfires, which erupted due to the dry weather and strong wind in six regions — Valparaiso, Libertador General Bernardo O'Higgins, Maule, Bio Bio, La Araucania and Metropolitana de Santiago.
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