The Hellenic Fire Service confirmed the tragic death of two crew members following the mid-air collision of two firefighting helicopters during operations in the Athens area (Attica) on Sunday.
A total of four crew members—two Greek coordinators and two foreigner pilots—were on board the two helicopters involved in the incident. The deceased are reportedly a Danish pilot and a Greek coordinator, while the British pilot and the second Greek coordinator in the other helicopter were rescued. They were injured but otherwise safe.
The collision took place after the firefighting helicopters had taken off from Elefsina military airport. “Two BELL helicopters, leased by the Fire Service from an Australian company, carrying a crew of two people each, crashed in the wider area of Psatha, Attica,” an official announcement said.
Both crews were quickly found and taken by ambulances, but while the first crew was reported in good health, the two members of the second crew were reported unconscious and declared dead at the hospital. All BELL helicopters were retired from the firefighting operations following the incident, and an investigation was pending on the causes of the tragedy.
The accident was caught on camera, showing the moment that the helicopters collided and one of them lost its rotor, causing it to rapidly lose height and fall into the forest.
Firefighting operations and emergency evacuations continue in Athens, Greece
On Sunday, Greece is struggling to contain the blazes that have turned more than 100,000 acres of land and dozens of homes to ashes as fires continue to burn on multiple fronts since Friday.
Evacuations continued in Attica on Sunday as the mega fire from Porto Germeno moved towards Megara and the city’s vast industrial zone. In many cases, police forces went door to door to ensure nobody was left behind as the flames progressed.
Throughout the weekend, intense and often gale-force winds resulted in especially adverse conditions—in most cases preventing firefighting aircraft operations.
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