Indonesia asks Australian firies' help

Indonesia has asked Australia to send a firefighting aircraft and crew as it struggles to bring forest fires under control.

Motorists ride on a road as thick haze from wildfires, Indonesia

Indonesia has asked Australia to send a firefighting aircraft to help fight forest fires. (AAP)

Indonesia has asked Australia to send a firefighting aircraft and crew to help fight raging forest fires that are choking Southeast Asia with deadly haze.

Indonesian Foreign Ministry spokesman Arrmanatha Nasir says the details are still being discussed, but it was agreed a water bombing aircraft with 10,000 litre capacity would be of most help.

"We hope it could arrive as soon as possible," he told AAP on Friday.

"From Singapore and Malaysia, we have heard that either today or tomorrow, help should arrive."

Indonesia has been reluctant to accept foreign help to tackle the crisis, which is now escalating.

Babies, children and people with asthma are suffering the most because of the haze, with reports a 28-day-old baby died on Wednesday in Palembang, Sumatra, from a respiratory infection.


Share

1 min read

Published

Updated

Source: AAP


Share this with family and friends


Get SBS News daily and direct to your Inbox

Sign up now for the latest news from Australia and around the world direct to your inbox.

By subscribing, you agree to SBS’s terms of service and privacy policy including receiving email updates from SBS.

Download our apps
SBS News
SBS Audio
SBS On Demand

Listen to our podcasts
An overview of the day's top stories from SBS News
Interviews and feature reports from SBS News
Your daily ten minute finance and business news wrap with SBS Finance Editor Ricardo Gonçalves.
A daily five minute news wrap for English learners and people with disability
Get the latest with our News podcasts on your favourite podcast apps.

Watch on SBS
SBS World News

SBS World News

Take a global view with Australia's most comprehensive world news service
Watch the latest news videos from Australia and across the world