During a forest firefighting operation 65 kilometres west of Athens, two Greek helicopters collided mid‑air, striking each other’s propellers and igniting both aircraft. Both machines broke apart and fell into a ravine, leaving four crew members below the wreckage. Two of them were found unconscious and taken to the 251st Air Force General Hospital, while the other two suffered light injuries.
Video of the incident shows the moment of impact and the ensuing flames, capturing the chaos of an operation that has been described by local media as a “titanic battle” against a swathe of fire‑stricken terrain that includes the Marie‑Pagon, Psatha, Fokida, Megara and Kefalonia areas. Over the past 72 hours, more than 500 firefighters have been deployed across Greece to keep the blazes under control.
The collision occurs amid a series of wildfires that have forced thousands of residents to abandon homes. Strong winds are preventing firefighters from bringing the blazes under control. In neighboring countries, France and Spain have recently confronted large fires near Madrid and Bordeaux, respectively; those fires have been contained but are still burning and have prompted widespread evacuations.
Most wildfires are caused by human activity, but climate change is making conditions for such blazes far more common. A mild, wet winter earlier this year encouraged vegetation growth that was then severely dried out by successive hot spells, creating abundant fuel for wildfires.
