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‘We Lost Our Aris’: From Dorida Fires to Final Mission in Psatha, Grief for 39-Year-Old Greek Liaison Officer
🇬🇷 Greece /Disasters & Emergencies

‘We Lost Our Aris’: From Dorida Fires to Final Mission in Psatha, Grief for 39-Year-Old Greek Liaison Officer

From Ta Nea · () Greek

Translated from Greek, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Sources not specified Outcome reported
  • A 39-year-old Greek helicopter liaison officer, Aristotelis Damigos, and a 46-year-old Danish pilot, Rune Kintal, died when their helicopter crashed while fighting a wildfire in Psatha, Greece.
  • Damigos, who had trained as a pilot, had been working with the company that supplied translators for the leased helicopters in Greece for three years.
  • The crash occurred during a firefighting mission, with video capturing the collision of two helicopters and the fall of one.

The devastating loss of Aristotelis Damigos, a 39-year-old Greek liaison officer, and Rune Kintal, a 46-year-old Danish pilot, has cast a pall over Greece. Their lives were tragically cut short when their helicopter crashed during a fierce battle against a wildfire in Psatha.

We lost our Aris. We still can't believe it, but unfortunately, it's true. I am friends with his parents, and I had also met him. A very kind boy. He helped wherever he could. The mood in the village is obviously not pleasant. Words are poor in such cases and mean little.

— Achilleas AndritsosPresident of the Sergoula community, speaking about Aristotelis Damigos.

Damigos, originally from the village of Sergoula in Dorida, was more than just a liaison; he was a trained pilot who had been collaborating with the company providing translators for leased firefighting helicopters in Greece for the past three years. His community is in shock, struggling to comprehend the loss of a young man who was actively involved in protecting their region.

Today I lost my son in one of the helicopters. He didn't come home. I will f*** you all until I close my eyes. I will chase you even from my grave.

— Aristotelis Damigos' stepfatherA post on Facebook expressing grief and anger after the helicopter crash.

"We lost our Aris. We still can't believe it, but unfortunately, it's true," said Achilleas Andritsos, president of the Sergoula community, describing Damigos as a "very kind boy" who "helped wherever he could." Damigos had been fighting fires in his home region the day before the fatal incident, making his loss even more poignant for the villagers.

Aris was not just a pilot. He was a child I had the blessing to know. I saw him grow up, stubbornly chase his dream of flying and achieve it. A person of integrity, kindness, dignity, and a heart full of love for his family.

— Aristotelis Damigos' stepfatherAnother post remembering Aristotelis Damigos.

The grief is palpable, with Damigos' stepfather expressing his anguish on Facebook, vowing to pursue justice. He remembered Aris not just as a pilot, but as a "child with integrity, kindness, dignity, and a heart full of love for his family." Damigos leaves behind a wife and daughter, for whom he worked tirelessly. His final act was one of protection, a commitment to safeguarding others.

We bid farewell to our Aris with shock. The Aris of Sergoula, the Aris of Greece. He was on the front lines to face the fiery onslaught, to save our lands and the lives of our fellow human beings.

— Residents of SergoulaA message from the local community mourning Aristotelis Damigos.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by Ta Nea in Greek. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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