Two killed as firefighting helicopters collide in Greece
A British pilot and a Greek crew member survived after two firefighting helicopters crashed west of Athens while battling a major wildfire.
The short version
Two crew members died when two firefighting helicopters collided mid-air west of Athens on Sunday. The crash occurred as Greece battled a major wildfire.
Two firefighting helicopters collided mid-air west of Athens on Sunday while battling a major wildfire.4,2,1 The collision killed two crew members and left two others injured.4,3,2,1 The two deceased crew members were identified as a Danish pilot and a Greek firefighting coordinator.1
The two survivors were a British pilot and a Greek crew member.5,2,1 Greek fire officials said the collision occurred during firefighting operations in western Attica.4,2 The Greek fire department reported that all four crew members were recovered after the crash.3,2
Greek authorities confirmed the incident at a press briefing led by Fire Service spokesperson Vassilis Vathrakogiannis.1 Video footage captured the midair collision of the two helicopters.4 The wildfire in Attica was described as major and burning out of control at the time of the crash.2
The collision occurred as Europe faced a wildfire emergency.3
“The fire department said the dead crew members were one Greek and one Danish national, while the two who were recovered alive were one Greek and one British national.”
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Andrew Parlette / CC BY 4.0Two firefighting helicopters collide near Athens, killing two crew
The Bell helicopters were fighting a wind‑driven blaze in the Porto Germeno area northwest of Athens amid a Europe‑wide heat wave.