Wildfires force evacuations on Greek island of Kefalonia

A tragic fire-fighting incident unfolded in Greece as two helicopters involved in extinguishing wildfires collided mid-air, resulting in the loss of two crew members. The collision occurred on Sunday while battling the wildfire in the Psatha area, west of Athens. One pilot was a Dane and the other a Greek, both working on separate Bell 214ST firefighting helicopters leased from Australia's McDermott Aviation.

The crashed helicopters were Bell 214ST N511EV (built in 1982) and Bell 214ST N746H (built in 1991). The second helicopter's crew was successfully rescued. All Bell helicopters in the area were grounded pending an investigation following the incident. Video footage of the collision went viral, showing one helicopter crashing to the ground while the other remained airborne despite damage.

The pilots were taken unconscious to the hospital, where their deaths were confirmed. This incident brings the total death toll from Greek wildfires to five, following the deaths of three other firefighters in Crete and the Peloponnese. The National Observatory's climate tracker noted adverse weather conditions, including strong northerly winds, which have partially weakened recently.