Two people were killed after two firefighting helicopters collided while battling a major wildfire northwest of Athens, as Greece continued to confront one of its most severe wildfire emergencies amid an intense European heatwave.
According to Greek fire authorities, the collision occurred over the Psatha area in the Attica region during aerial firefighting operations.
The victims were identified as a Greek and a Danish national. The occupants of the second helicopter—a Greek and a British national—survived the crash, authorities said.
Preliminary investigations and local media reports suggest the wildfire may have been triggered by sparks from electricity transmission lines connected to a wind power facility. Greek authorities have arrested two Greek nationals on suspicion of negligence, while a third suspect remains at large.
The blaze has destroyed more than 100 homes northwest of Athens and continues to advance toward the town of Megara, prompting fresh evacuation orders for residents. A separate wildfire has also broken out on the tourist island of Kefalonia, adding pressure to emergency services already stretched by multiple active fires.
Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said the scale of the disaster highlights the growing challenges posed by increasingly extreme weather.
“At times, the forces of nature and the intensity of the weather exceed all human planning and capabilities,” he said.
The crisis comes as wildfires continue to spread across Europe, fueled by record-breaking temperatures, prolonged drought and strong winds.
In France, broadcaster BFM TV reported that shifting winds had altered the direction of a major wildfire in the country’s southwest, driving the flames deeper into remote forest areas. Another wildfire was sparked after a vehicle caught fire along a motorway near Carcassonne, further complicating firefighting efforts.
In Spain, authorities said conditions had improved in Cáceres Province, where around 800 residents were evacuated as crews worked to contain a forest fire.
Europe’s climate emergency has also deepened an energy crisis driven by historically low river levels.
Water levels in the Danube and Rhine rivers have fallen to record lows, disrupting transport and power generation. In Hungary, authorities shut down the country’s only nuclear power plant for the first time in four decades after the Danube’s water level dropped sharply, Prime Minister Péter Magyar confirmed.
In neighboring Serbia, water shortages have reduced output at the country’s largest hydropower plant by 80 percent, raising concerns over electricity supplies as the region faces one of its harshest summers on record.
Source: Reuters