Two firefighting helicopters crashed while battling wildfires west of Athens on Sunday, triggering a major search and rescue operation as Greece continued to battle multiple blazes fuelled by extreme heat and strong winds, the international media and BBC reported.
According to the Greek Fire Service, the collision occurred in the wider Psatha area of Attica, west of Athens. The two Bell helicopters, leased by the fire department, had taken off from the Elefsina military airport and each was carrying a crew of two.
Authorities said a search and rescue operation was under way but had not disclosed the condition or identities of the four crew members. The cause of the mid-air collision was also not immediately known.
The helicopter crash came as Greece faced one of its most severe wildfire emergencies in recent years. Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis warned that the country was experiencing “extreme weather conditions” and that “extremely difficult” days lay ahead.
In a Facebook post, Mitsotakis said winds had reached 100 kmph, making aerial firefighting operations highly dangerous. “There are moments when nature and the intensity of weather phenomena surpass any human planning and any operational capability,” he said.
The Prime Minister also paid tribute to three firefighters who lost their lives earlier this week while battling the blazes and praised the efforts of firefighters, volunteers and military personnel working to contain the fires.
The wildfires have forced the evacuation of thousands of people across Greece, including residents and tourists. On the island of Crete, fires have scorched thousands of hectares of land and led to the temporary evacuation of around 8,000 people. About 500 people, most of them tourists, were evacuated from central Greece on Friday, while fresh fires have also broken out on the islands of Paros, Andros and Kalymnos.
The wildfires in Greece are part of a broader wave of extreme fires sweeping southern Europe following successive heatwaves and prolonged dry conditions. France, Spain, Portugal, Italy and parts of the Balkans have all battled major wildfires in recent weeks, forcing thousands of evacuations, destroying forests and homes, and stretching firefighting resources. Authorities across the region have warned that soaring temperatures, strong winds and drought are creating increasingly dangerous conditions, with climate experts saying extreme weather is making wildfire seasons longer and more intense. According to the BBC, several European countries remain on high alert as fresh outbreaks continue to threaten communities and tourist destinations.
