Israel calls for help to fight blaze

JERUSALEM - Israel Thursday asked the international community to send firefighting aircraft to help put out a huge blaze in the country’s port city of Haifa that left at least 40 people dead, reports Xinhua.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu late Thursday urged Cyprus, Greece, Italy and Russia to send the aircraft. Israel doesn’t have one. Meanwhile, Greece and Cypriot have promised to immediately dispatch the planes.

The fire broke out early Thursday in the Carmel mountain range overlooking the city. The authorities began to evacuate people from the nearby schools, homes and a prison when the fire started to spread.

At least 40 people have died when the bus in which they were travelling over turned near the inferno after the driver lost control of the vehicle.

The bus was carrying police personnel and prison guards.

Officials said the guards were rushing to the site to evacuate the prisoners from the facility.

Netanyahu in a live broadcast commended the firefighters and offered his condolences to the families of the victims.

“We will have to learn the lesson, in order to be able to deal with similar future events,” Netanyahu said.