Two firefighting helicopters collided in mid-air while operating over a wildfire west of Athens on Sunday, killing two crew members and leaving two others alive. The Bell helicopters were leased for Greece’s fire service and were supporting aerial firefighting in the Psatha area of western Attica, northwest of the capital, as crews battled fast-moving fires in hot, dry and windy conditions.
Greek officials identified the dead as a Greek firefighting coordinator and a Danish pilot, while the survivors were reported as a British pilot and a Greek coordinator. Both aircraft had taken off from Elefsina military airport and carried two people each. Search-and-rescue teams were deployed immediately after the collision.
The crash came amid a wider wildfire emergency around Athens that has already forced evacuations and burned homes, farmland and pine forest. Authorities have said the blaze may have started from sparks on a faulty power line, while the exact cause of the helicopter collision remains under investigation.