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Two helicopters collide in Greece as wildfires spread
🇮🇪 Ireland /Disasters & Emergencies

Two helicopters collide in Greece as wildfires spread

From RTÉ News · () English

Summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Sources not specified Ongoing story
  • Two helicopters battling wildfires in Greece collided in the air, prompting a search and rescue operation.
  • One crew member was reported safe, while rescuers searched for the second.
  • Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis warned of "extremely difficult" days ahead as multiple wildfires rage across the country.

A tragic mid-air collision between two firefighting helicopters occurred in Greece as the nation grapples with multiple devastating wildfires. The incident happened in the Psatha area, west of Athens, while the aircraft were engaged in battling a blaze.

When the winds blow with such force, even the dozens of aircraft we have at our disposal cannot operate safely.

— Kyriakos MitsotakisPrime Minister of Greece, explaining the challenges posed by extreme weather conditions to firefighting efforts.

The Hellenic Fire Service confirmed the collision and stated that search and rescue teams were immediately deployed. State broadcaster ERT reported that one crew member had been found safe, and efforts were ongoing to locate the second. Television footage captured the harrowing moment one of the helicopters exploded and plummeted to the ground in flames, apparently after a rotor collision.

Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis issued a stark warning, describing the days ahead as "extremely difficult." He noted that Greece was experiencing "extreme weather conditions," with winds reaching speeds of up to 100 kilometers per hour, hindering the safe operation of firefighting aircraft.

We could not believe what we were seeing, the fire spread extremely rapidly.

— Nikos GeorgopoulosFrom the laboratory of forest management at the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, describing the rapid spread of a wildfire.

Nearly 500 firefighters are currently battling blazes in various locations, including near the coastal village of Porto Germeno, northwest of Athens. Efforts are underway to prevent the fire from reaching the western outskirts of the capital. Another fire is being fought in Aigialia in the northern Peloponnese, and a new blaze erupted on the Ionian Sea island of Cephalonia, a popular holiday destination. A 44-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of deliberately starting the fire on Cephalonia.

Is anyone there?

— Greek police officersShouted while evacuating residents near Porto Germeno as a wildfire approached.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by RTÉ News. Summarized and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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