Greece: fire brigade helicopters collide as wildfires spread
The crew of one of the helicopters is reported to be safe but the search for the second is ongoing. Prime Minister Mitsotakis has warned of "extremely difficult" days ahead while on expert has referred to a "megafire."
Two fire brigade helicopters collided in the air near the Gulf of Corinth in Greece on Sunday while battling intense wildfires. Search and rescue teams quickly mobilized to locate the crews, and one helicopter was found to have exploded and burned. The fate of the second helicopter's crew was initially unknown. This accident occurred as firefighters across Greece continued to fight fires, with three firefighters dying in recent days.
The fires are fueled by strong winds of up to 100 kilometers per hour, posing significant challenges for rescue operations. Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis warned of extremely difficult days ahead, stating that nature's intensity can surpass human planning and operational capabilities. In the town of Porto Germeno, just north of the collision site, nearly 500 firefighters worked to prevent the blaze from reaching the outskirts of Athens. Evacuations were conducted by both sea and land, with over 6,500 hectares burned across the region.
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