Two helicopters have crashed in Greece while tackling wildfires. A search and rescue mission is currently in progress for the crews who were involved in the collision in the Psatha region of Attica, according to Greece’s fire department.
The aircraft involved had departed from Elefsina military airport. Each helicopter was carrying a two-person crew, the Greek fire service confirmed in a statement.
“During the aerial firefighting operation, two BELL helicopters, leased by the fire department, with a crew of two people each, crashed in the wider area of Psatha, Attica,” the department said in a statement.
“The helicopters had taken off from the Elefsina military airport. The search and rescue operation is under way,” they added.
Nearly 500 Greek firefighters have been deployed to the region, assisted by personnel from France and Romania. Wildfires are wreaking havoc across Greece, leading to the evacuation of thousands of residents and tourists.
In Crete, blazes have consumed vast tracts of land, forcing around 8,000 people to leave their homes temporarily for safety. On Friday, in central Greece, the situation was no better, with roughly 500 individuals, mainly tourists, also evacuated due to the advancing flames.
The islands of Paros, Andros, and Kalymnos have also experienced outbreaks of fires, adding to the challenges faced by local authorities. Greece is not alone in this crisis, as several other European nations are grappling with severe wildfires, a direct consequence of a series of heatwaves that have created ideal conditions for such disasters.
Greece’s Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis took to Facebook earlier today, saying: “These are extremely difficult days for our country, marked by extreme weather conditions and winds that, in many areas, reached as high as Force 10 on the Beaufort scale. These conditions have tested – and continue to test – the resilience of the Fire Service, the Civil Protection authorities, local government, and the citizens themselves.
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“In recent years, we have invested more than ever before in strengthening Civil Protection—acquiring more aerial and ground assets, leveraging new technologies, recruiting personnel, and better organizing the state apparatus. Yet, there are times when the nature and intensity of weather phenomena surpass all human planning and operational capabilities.”
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