In a horrifying incident west of Athens, two firefighting helicopters collided in midair on Sunday while working to combat a rapidly spreading wildfire. The collision, which was reported by Trending Politics, claimed the lives of two crew members and left two others hospitalized with injuries.
The two Bell helicopters went down over the Psatha area during active firefighting operations. Each aircraft had a two person crew on board. Emergency teams pulled all four occupants from the wreckage. A Greek fire service liaison officer and a Danish pilot lost their lives in the crash. The two survivors, one Greek national and one British national, were transported to a hospital nearby.
Video footage that has circulated widely on social media appears to show the moment the two helicopters crossed paths at low altitude. One rotor apparently struck the other, and one of the aircraft can be seen falling to the ground engulfed in flames. The footage has not been independently verified. Fire department communications director Vassilis Vathrakogiannis stated in a televised address that the pilots "were taken unconscious to hospital, where their death was confirmed," according to Neos Kosmos.
Following the collision, authorities grounded every Bell firefighting helicopter operating in the region while investigators work to figure out what caused this tragic accident.
Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, who received a briefing on ongoing firefighting efforts, cautioned the Greek public to brace for what he called "extremely difficult" days ahead. And given everything happening across the country right now, that is not an exaggeration by any stretch.
The wildfire that these crews were fighting when the collision occurred broke out on Friday and has already destroyed more than 100 homes. As if that were not enough, a separate blaze near Porto Germeno reached a military firing range, which set off explosions from unexploded ammunition. Because apparently when you are already dealing with apocalyptic wildfires, why not throw some surprise ordnance detonations into the mix?
Close to 500 firefighters have been deployed throughout the region, and reinforcements from France and Romania have arrived to assist with what has become a massive emergency response.
The two fatalities from Sunday's helicopter crash brought the week's total wildfire death toll to five. Three other firefighters perished earlier in separate blazes on Crete and in the Peloponnese region.
Greece is not alone in suffering through another brutal wildfire season. Parts of France and Spain are also dealing with dangerous fire conditions as extreme heat and bone dry landscapes continue fueling fast moving blazes across southern Europe. Mother Nature is not pulling any punches this summer, and the people on the front lines are paying the heaviest price.
Read more breaking news stories at: Trending Politics News
