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Choppers collide, killing 2, as fires and foreboding grip Greece
politico.eu • • general
Key Points:
- Greece is battling multiple wildfires, including a major blaze west of Athens, while Spain and France begin to gain control over their own recent wildfires that caused massive evacuations.
- Two firefighters, one Greek and one Danish, died in a midair collision of firefighting helicopters near Athens, with two others rescued alive; three additional Greek firefighters died earlier in the week battling fires in Crete and the Peloponnese.
- The wildfire near Porto Germeno has destroyed around 200 houses, and flames have rapidly spread through western Attica, prompting evacuations of over 2,500 people and threatening the industrial district near Megara.
- Over 500 firefighters are deployed across Greece to combat multiple fires, with strong winds complicating efforts, though weather conditions are expected to improve on Monday.
- Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis expressed sorrow over the helicopter accident and pledged support for affected residents, noting that extreme weather conditions have overwhelmed firefighting capabilities amid a summer of record heat and drought linked to climate change.
