Water bombers and equipment arrive in Israel to combat fire

International firefighting planes and tonnes of equipment is arriving in Israel as more than a dozen countries pitched in to help fight a vast fire which has killed 41.

At least four Canadair water bombers could be seen flying through the smoke-choked skies over the northern port city of Haifa, pouring water and fire retardant onto the sea of flames. Two firefighting helicopters and three small planes were also involved in the huge task of curbing the inferno, which has swept across more than 10,000 acres of land in the past 24 hours, Telegraph reports.

Two firefighters and a policeman were also among the dead. Elsewhere, at least two more fire crew were reported missing, while the Haifa district police chief was among the injured.

Across the region, traffic crawled to a standstill, with black smoke and flames visible for miles around. The blaze broke out shortly before lunchtime and spread rapidly across the tinder-dry Carmel countryside, left parched after the hottest November in Israel in 60 years, Ha'aretz informs.