MOSCOW, January 29. /TASS/. The Russian Emergencies Ministry has sent a plane to assist efforts to tackle wildfires in Chile, the ministry’s spokesman said.

"On an instruction from the Russian government and in line with the Chilean side’s request, the emergencies ministry of Russia has sent an Il-76 plane to the Republic of Chile, where six areas had to introduce the state of emergency amid wildfires caused by a spell of dry and hot weather combined with strong winds," the spokesman said.

The plane, to arrive later on Sunday, will perform a nearly 15,000-km transcontinental flight from Moscow to Santiago with three refueling stops.

"The crew is prepared for working in difficult conditions and is extremely experienced in tackling wildfires. It engaged in numerous emergency operations in Russia and abroad," the emergencies ministry said.