Two firefighting helicopters collide over Greece wildfire zone

Two firefighting helicopters collided mid-air on Sunday while battling a wildfire in the Psatha area west of Athens, Greece's fire department confirmed, prompting an immediate search and rescue operation for the crews involved.marketscreener+1

The collision occurred as gale-force winds continued to drive flames through western Attica, the region surrounding the Greek capital, in what has become one of Europe's most dangerous wildfire emergencies this summer.

Search and Rescue Underway

Reuters Thomson Reuters Corporation ↗ 3.55% reported that a search and rescue operation for the helicopter crews was underway in the Psatha area following the collision. Greece's fire service confirmed the mobilization of rescue teams "to locate and assist the crews," though no information about the condition of those on board was immediately available.trtworld+3

The incident adds to an already devastating week for Greek firefighters. Three have died in the line of duty — two in Crete and one in the Peloponnese — as the civil protection minister described emergency services as being "pushed to its limits."trtworld

Winds Cripple Aerial Operations

The collision took place amid conditions that have severely hampered aerial firefighting. Gale-force winds reaching 100 kilometers per hour have made it impossible for some aircraft to descend to the sea to collect water, according to the fire service. Greek authorities ordered evacuations for the communities of Kandili, Agia Skepi, and Toutouli on Sunday as flames advanced through the Geraneia mountains and toward an industrial district outside Megara.wsbtv+1

Nearly 500 firefighters and 23 aircraft had been deployed to the western Attica front, where the fire began Friday near the coastal village of Agios Vasileios before sweeping toward Porto Germeno and into forested mountains. Wildfire meteorologist Theodore Giannaros estimated that the blaze had affected 40 to 50 square kilometers by Saturday.timesofisrael+1

A Continent in Crisis

The helicopter collision comes as Europe faces simultaneous wildfire emergencies. Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis warned of "extremely difficult" days ahead, while France continues to guard a megafire in the Gironde region that scorched 420 square kilometers and forced 224,000 people to flee in what may have been the largest peacetime evacuation in French history.wsbtv+1

Firefighters evacuated 254 people by sea from Agios Vasileios on Friday and another 12 from Porto Germeno on Saturday — escape routes of last resort where fire and smoke cut the few roads out of coastal communities.wsbtv