2 firefighting helicopters collide midair near Athens as Europe’s wildfire emergency rages
The fire service said the helicopters were carrying two crew members each and investigators have started examining the cause of the collision.
- On Sunday, two Bell firefighting helicopters collided midair over Psatha west of Athens while battling a wind-driven wildfire, killing two crew members and leaving two others alive.
- Force 10 winds created extreme turbulence that hampered aerial firefighting operations, prompting Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis to warn of "extremely difficult" conditions preventing aircraft from operating safely.
- Television footage showed one helicopter exploding after an apparent rotor strike; the four-person crew included one Greek, one Danish, and two British nationals involved in the midair collision.
- Fire spread forced evacuations in Porto Germeno and Agios Nektarios, where Greek police went door-to-door urging residents to flee as wildfires devastated over 12,000 hectares.
- The incident carries grim resonance with the 2018 Mati wildfire that killed 104 people, as wildfire meteorologist Theodore Giannaros said the Porto Germeno blaze is "highly likely" to be classified as a megafire.
377 Articles
377 Articles
(Seoul = Yonhap News) Reporter Kang Hoon-sang = The large-scale wildfires in Greece, which intensified last week, are proving difficult to bring under control.
2 killed as firefighting helicopters collide midair in Greece
Two people were killed after two firefighting helicopters collided midair while battling wildfires in Greece, according to local media. Two others survived the collision. The crash happened Sunday afternoon near Psatha in the western Attica region. Both Bell helicopters had been fighting wildfires burning across Attica and neighboring Boeotia since earlier in the day. Video captured the helicopters flying close together before converging and mak…
In the course of the forest fires in Greece there was a fatal accident near Athens. With the crew in one of the two extinguishing helicopters only death could be determined. Extreme winds make the extinguishing work from the air dangerous.
Coverage Details
Bias Distribution
- 34% of the sources lean Left
Factuality
To view factuality data please Upgrade to Premium
