2 firefighting helicopters collide midair near Athens as Europe’s wildfire emergency rages
The fire service said the helicopters were carrying two crew members each and investigators have started examining the cause of the collision.
- On Sunday, two Bell firefighting helicopters collided midair over Psatha west of Athens while battling a wind-driven wildfire, killing two crew members and leaving two others alive.
- Force 10 winds created extreme turbulence that hampered aerial firefighting operations, prompting Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis to warn of "extremely difficult" conditions preventing aircraft from operating safely.
- Television footage showed one helicopter exploding after an apparent rotor strike; the four-person crew included one Greek, one Danish, and two British nationals involved in the midair collision.
- Fire spread forced evacuations in Porto Germeno and Agios Nektarios, where Greek police went door-to-door urging residents to flee as wildfires devastated over 12,000 hectares.
- The incident carries grim resonance with the 2018 Mati wildfire that killed 104 people, as wildfire meteorologist Theodore Giannaros said the Porto Germeno blaze is "highly likely" to be classified as a megafire.
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486 Articles
Athens.- Two pilots lost their lives after the helicopters involved in the work to combat a forest fire crashed in the area of Psatha, west of Athens, Greece. The accident was captured on video and shows the moment when one of the aircraft hit the bottom of the other before it exploded and fell. The victims, a Danish and a Greek pilot, were taken unconscious to a hospital, where their death was confirmed. Meanwhile, the crew of the second helico…
Terrace pilot killed in Greek helicopter crash - Northern Sentinel
A Danish pilot living in Terrace has been killed in a helicopter crash while fighting a wildfire west of Athens, Greece on Aug. 2, 2026. Two helicopters, one piloted by Rune Kyndal, 46, came into contact with each other in midair, European news agencies report. Kyndal and a Greek firefighting coordinator were killed when their helicopter crashed. The British pilot of the second helicopter made an emergency landing and he and a Greek coordinator …
Terrace pilot killed in Greek helicopter crash - The Northern View
A Danish pilot living in Terrace has been killed in a helicopter crash while fighting a wildfire west of Athens, Greece on Aug. 2, 2026. Two helicopters, one piloted by Rune Kyndal, 46, came into contact with each other in midair, European news agencies report. Kyndal and a Greek firefighting coordinator were killed when their helicopter crashed. The British pilot of the second helicopter made an emergency landing and he and a Greek coordinator …
Helicopters Collide Mid-Air In Harrowing Clip
Two crew members were killed after two firefighting helicopters collided in midair while battling a fast-moving wildfire west of Athens, as Greece continues to grapple with a devastating stretch of blazes fueled by extreme heat and strong winds. The Bell helicopters crashed Sunday over the Psatha area while working to contain the fire. Greek fire officials said each aircraft carried a two-person crew. Emergency responders pulled all four occupan…
Greece Battles Raging Wildfires After Collision Between Firefighting Helicopters Kills Two
Volunteers battle a wildfire burning near Porto Germeno, 70 kilometres northwest of Athens, in the region of Viotia, Greece, on Aug. 2, 2026. —Costas Baltas—Getty ImagesEmergency services in Greece are rigorously battling wildfires across the country, a day after two firefighting helicopters collided in midair, killing two crew members.Almost 500 firefighters have been deployed to stop advancing wildfires west of Athens, with water-dropping plan…
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