AGIOS KONSTANTINOS, Greece (Reuters) - Two firefighting helicopters collided in Greece while helping to control a huge wildfire on Sunday that has destroyed more than 100 homes northwest of Athens, while a fresh blaze forced evacuations on the popular tourist island of Kefalonia.
Europe has been ravaged by wildfires this summer after a period of record-breaking heatwaves and little rain – conditions that scientists say have been exacerbated by climate change.
Destructive blazes in France and Spain showed signs of easing over the weekend, but several wildfires have broken out in Greece after a period of relative calm there.
Two helicopters collided during a firefighting operation in the area of Psatha in the Attica region, west of Athens, Greece’s fire service said in a statement.
Footage posted on the Forecast Weather Greece Facebook page appeared to show two helicopters closing to cross paths at low altitude, before the main rotor of the lower helicopter struck the underside of the one flying above it and crashed in flames. The second helicopter then dumped its load of water and flew away. Reuters has not verified the authenticity of the footage.
The crew of one helicopter had been located and were safe, with ambulances on the way to pick them up, government officials said. As for the second crew, the helicopter had been located, and a search-and-rescue operation was underway, officials said.
Gale-force winds that had fuelled a fire around Porto Germeno on the Gulf of Corinth 60 km (40 miles) northwest of Athens subsided, but flames crossed a mountain to the south and reached the settlement of Veniza and a military firing range, igniting unexploded ordnance. Firefighters focused their efforts on preventing fire from advancing towards the coastal town of Megara, which has a population of around 30,000.
“There are moments when the force of nature and the intensity of weather conditions exceed all human planning and every operational capability,” Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said in his regular Sunday message.