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Helicopter crash near Athens
Two Australian-owned helicopters collided midair while battling a wind-driven wildfire west of Athens, killing two firefighters and injuring none of the survivors, according to the fire service and company statements.
“Two firefighters are dead after a collision between two Australian-owned helicopters near Athens”
The crash occurred over the Psatha area west of Athens, where each Bell helicopter had a two-person crew, and footage showed one aircraft crashing to the ground.
ABC News & Headlines reported the fatalities were a Danish pilot and a Greek fire service liaison officer, while a British pilot and another Greek co-ordinator survived and were recovered alive.
The collision happened as strong winds drove flames deeper into western Attica and forced fresh evacuations, with the fire beginning Friday near Agios Vasileios before sweeping toward Porto Germeno and into the forested mountains west of Athens.
Condolences and grounding
Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis expressed his “deepest sorrow” over the accident, saying in a statement that “The loss of the Greek coordinator and the Danish pilot at the time they were attempting the major fire in Porto Germeno fills us all with grief.”
The BBC reported that, according to the Greek Fire Service, the two leased Bell helicopters collided on Sunday while taking part in efforts to tackle a large wildfire burning on the Attica-Boeotia border.
The BBC also said that, according to protocol, all Bell helicopters across the country were grounded, and a source from the civil protection ministry said the second Bell helicopter involved made an emergency landing in an area of low vegetation.
Investigations into what caused the collision were underway, with the ABC News & Headlines account saying investigations had started into what caused the collision and the BBC noting the names of the four crew members had not been publicly released.
Wildfire emergency across Europe
The helicopter crash unfolded during a broader wildfire emergency across Europe, with the ABC News & Headlines account saying fire-hit areas of France and Spain remained on alert despite most blazes coming under control.
“after forcing 224,000 people to flee”
In France, the ABC News & Headlines report said the largest wildfire remained held within its perimeter after forcing 224,000 people to flee, while hot spots still burned within a 420-square-kilometre scar and nearly 3,000 firefighters were deployed against the Gironde megafire and a second blaze in Provence.
In Greece, evacuations continued as firefighters battled multiple fronts, with the ABC News & Headlines report saying authorities ordered the evacuation of the communities of Kandili, Agia Skepi and Toutouli as smoke rose over the mountains.
The same reporting framed the stakes as part of Europe’s growing wildfire threat, citing the European Environment Agency figure that over the past four decades wildfires have been linked to nearly 800 deaths across much of Europe and noting that human-caused climate change made extreme fire-weather conditions behind this year’s French blazes at least twice as likely, according to World Weather Attribution.
