Russia sends plane for evacuating injured tourists from Antalya

The Ilyushin Il-76 plane departed from the Ramenskoye airfield in the Moscow region to Antalya at 5:30 p.m. Moscow time.

The ministry's information department said earlier that the plane was equipped with five medical modules for transporting the injured.

Five doctors of the Zashchita emergency medicine center and ten doctors of the Emergency Situations Ministry, as well as psychologists are going to Antalya.

The bus carrying Russian tourists to Pamukkale fell into the river from the height of 15 meters near the Antalya airport this morning. According to the preliminary information, 17 tourists died and 24 were injured. In all, there were 41 people on the bus, including 39 citizens of Russia.

President Dmitry Medvedev presented condolences over the death of the tourists and ordered the Foreign Ministry, the Health and Social Development Ministry and the Emergency Situations Ministry to help the injured and families of the dead. Prosecutor General Yuri Chaika was ordered to investigate the accident. An investigative team was formed in Moscow.