Two Greek firefighting helicopters collide near Athens killing two

Greece Wildfire Crisis

A devastating collision between two firefighting helicopters occurred on Sunday while battling a massive wildfire in the area of Psatha, west of Athens, Greece's fire service said. The incident resulted in the deaths of two crew members — a Danish pilot and a Greek firefighting coordinator — while two others survived, including a British pilot and a Greek firefighter.

The aircraft, both Bell helicopters operating with two-person crews, collided in mid-air during firefighting operations. Footage posted on the Forecast Weather Greece Facebook page appeared to show two helicopters crossing paths at low altitude before the main rotor of the lower helicopter struck the underside of the one flying above it and crashed in flames, while the second helicopter flew away and carried out an emergency landing.

Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis expressed his "deepest sorrow" over the deaths of the firefighters, stating in a statement, "The loss of the Greek coordinator and the Danish pilot while they were operating in the major fire at Porto Germeno fills us all with grief. Sincere condolences to their families." Greek President Konstantinos Tasoulas, who visited the Civil Protection Coordination Center in Athens on Sunday, also paid tribute, saying the tragic incident highlighted the dangerousness of the challenges faced by Fire Department Personnel. EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen offered her condolences, stating that "It takes a special courage to fly towards the flames so that others can be safe."

The collision occurred amidst a massive wildfire that has been raging in the Attica region northwest of Athens, which has destroyed more than 100 homes and forced emergency evacuations. Gale-force winds fueled the fire around Porto Germeno on the Gulf of Corinth 40 miles northwest of Athens, sending flames across a mountain to the south to reach the settlement of Veniza and a military firing range, igniting unexploded ordnance. Emergency services focused on preventing the fire from advancing toward the coastal town of Megara, which has a population of around 30,000. Greek authorities issued emergency alerts for evacuations for settlements in western Attica, including an industrial estate near Megara, while several settlements on the Ionian island of Kefalonia were also evacuated after a fire broke out in the south.

The wildfire crisis in Greece is part of a larger European emergency. In France, wildfires in the Gironde and Var departments showed signs of easing over the weekend, though authorities reported minor flare-ups in Gironde and noted that thousands remained unable to return home from the megafire. In central Spain, wildfires that ripped through tens of thousands of hectares were mostly under control, with Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez calling for a national pact to confront wildfires and warning that climate change is making them increasingly destructive.

Europe has been ravaged by wildfires this summer after a period of record-breaking heat waves and little rain, conditions that scientists say have been exacerbated by climate change. Europe is the world's fastest-warming continent, having warmed more than twice the global average since the 1980s, according to the European Union's Copernicus Climate Change Service. Furthermore, human-caused climate change made the extreme fire-weather conditions behind the French blazes at least twice as likely, according to a rapid analysis by World Weather Attribution scientists.

Authorities are investigating the cause of the helicopter collision. Aeronautical engineer Phaedon Karaiosifidis told the Greek outlet Proto Thema that investigators will examine human error, mechanical failure, and weather conditions. Sources from the company that leased the two helicopters reported that initial indications suggested human error was the cause of the collision, with no reports of technical failure.