Two die as Australian firefighting helicopters collide in Greece
Two crew members died after two firefighting helicopters collided while battling wildfires near Athens, Greece. The aircraft were operated by an Australian company, and the incident highlights the extreme risks faced by emergency responders during the wildfire season.
Why it matters
Highlights the dangers of international wildfire suppression efforts and the tragic loss of life in disaster management.
— 8:46am , first published 7:25am
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Share A A A Athens: Two firefighting helicopters owned by an Australian company collided in midair as they were battling a wind-driven wildfire west of Athens, sending one aircraft crashing to the ground.
Two crew members, a Danish pilot and a Greek fire service liaison officer, died in the crash.
The collision on Sunday (Athens time) laid bare the danger at the most volatile front of Europe’s wildfire emergency. Strong winds drove flames deeper into the region of the Greek capital and forced fresh evacuations; meanwhile, French firefighters guarded a still-burning scar four times the size of Paris, and Spain’s major fires stopped advancing.
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