A Briton has survived and two people were killed after two firefighting helicopters collided while battling vast blazes tearing through an area west of Athens on Sunday.
A Greek and a Danish national on one helicopter were killed, after a second helicopter with a Briton and Greek onboard collided with its rotors. Both people onboard the second helicopter survived.
Tragic footage of the collision shows two helicopters crossing paths at low altitude, before the main rotor of the lower helicopter strikes the underside of the other, causing it to crash down in flames. The second helicopter was able to fly away and carry out an emergency landing.
open image in galleryBoth the Greek prime minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis and president Konstantinos Tasoulas have paid tribute to firefighters killed as they were fighting a wildfire that has destroyed more than 100 homes around Psatha, Attica, northwest of Athens.
Europe has been ravaged by wildfires this summer after a period of record-breaking heatwaves and little rain – conditions that scientists say have been exacerbated by climate change.
Destructive blazes in France and Spain showed some signs of easing over the weekend, but several wildfires have broken out in Greece after a period of relative calm there.
open image in galleryEarlier this week, two firefighters died in Crete after becoming trapped between two fire fronts in the region of Rethymno on Wednesday. A third firefighter was found unconscious near the southern Peloponnese port town of Gytheio and was later pronounced dead.
Investigations into the helicopter crash are now underway, and no theories have yet been shared.
Aeronautical engineer Phaedon Karaiosifidis told Greek outlet Proto Thema that the factors which will be looked into are human error, mechanical failure, and weather conditions.
open image in galleryThe outlet said that sources from the company that had leased the two helicopters reported that initial indications suggested human error was the cause of the collision, and that there were no reports of technical failure.
Greek prime minister Mr Mitsotakis has expressed his “deepest sorrow” over the deaths of a Danish pilot and Greek coordinator.
“The loss of the Greek coordinator and the Danish pilot while they were operating in the major fire at Porto Germeno fills us all with grief. Sincere condolences to their families,” he said.
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open image in galleryGreek president Mr Tasoulas, who visited the Civil Protection Coordination Center in Athens on Sunday, said the “tragic incident” highlights the “dangerousness of the challenges faced by Fire Department Personnel”.
EU Commission president Ursula von der Leyen also offered her condolences, adding: “It takes a special courage to fly towards the flames so that others can be safe.
“As we continue to battle these fires side by side, Europe grieves with Greece and Denmark.”
Authorities are still looking into the cause of the fire in Attica. Early investigations suggest it started in the region of Boeotia and was caused by sparks from conductors on a private network transmitting electricity generated by wind turbines to the main power grid, the Kathimerini website reported.
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open image in galleryTwo Greek nationals were arrested on suspicion of negligence, while another suspect remains at large, the report said.
Gale-force winds that had fuelled another fire around Porto Germeno on the Gulf of Corinth 40 miles northwest of Athens subsided, but flames crossed a mountain to the south and reached the settlement of Veniza and a military firing range, igniting unexploded ordnance.
Emergency services focussed on preventing the fire from advancing towards the coastal town of Megara, which hosts a population of around 30,000.
“There are moments when the force of nature and the intensity of weather conditions exceed all human planning and every operational capability,” Mr Mitsotakis said in his regular Sunday message.
open image in galleryGreek authorities issued emergency alerts for evacuations for a number of settlements in western Attica, including an industrial estate near Megara.
In the village of Agios Konstantinos, residents were doing their best to halt the spread of the blaze.
“The fire has been burning since last night, it is certain that they cannot have forces everywhere. We as residents are doing everything we can,” said Tasos Tzempelikos, 61, who along with his son was pouring water on the fire.
Overnight, several settlements on the Ionian island of Kefalonia were evacuated after a fire broke out in the Pastra area in the south.