Politics
2 Firefighting Helicopters Collide As Greece Battles Devastating Wildfires
Two firefighting helicopters collided mid-air on Sunday while battling a massive wildfire in Greece, as emergency crews continued efforts to contain fast-moving blazes that have destroyed more than 100 homes northwest of Athens and forced fresh evacuations on the tourist island of Kefalonia.
According to NBC News, the collision occurred during an aerial firefighting mission over the Psatha area in the Attica region, west of Athens.
Reports indicated that both helicopters were flying at low altitude when the rotor blades of one aircraft struck the other. One of the helicopters reportedly crashed and caught fire, while the second released its load of water before remaining airborne. The authenticity of video footage circulating online has not been independently verified.
Greek authorities said the crew members aboard one helicopter were located alive and safe, with emergency medical personnel sent to the scene. Search-and-rescue teams were also deployed after the second aircraft was located.
The incident unfolded as Greece stepped up efforts to combat one of its worst wildfire outbreaks of the year.
Although the powerful winds that initially drove the blaze near Porto Germeno on the Gulf of Corinth had weakened, firefighters continued battling flames spreading across rugged mountain terrain toward the settlement of Veniza and a nearby military firing range, where unexploded ordnance was reported to have ignited.
Emergency services focused on preventing the fire from reaching the coastal town of Megara, which has a population of about 30,000.
Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said the scale of the disaster had overwhelmed even the country’s emergency response capabilities.
“There are moments when the force of nature and the intensity of weather conditions exceed all human planning and every operational capability,” Mitsotakis said in his weekly address.
Authorities also issued evacuation orders for several communities in western Attica, including an industrial area near Megara, as the fires continued to spread.
According to local news outlet Protothema, the wildfire may already have consumed more than 10,000 hectares of land, with emergency responders racing to stop it from reaching densely populated coastal communities.
On the Ionian island of Kefalonia, officials ordered overnight evacuations in several communities after another wildfire broke out in the Pastra area in the island’s south.
The fires in Greece form part of a broader environmental crisis unfolding across Europe this summer.
Following weeks of intense heatwaves and unusually dry weather, several European countries have been battling destructive wildfires that scientists say have been exacerbated by climate change.
In France, authorities said major fires in the Gironde and Var regions had been largely contained, with only isolated flare-ups remaining.
Spain also reported progress in bringing recent wildfires under control after vast areas were scorched over the past week, although firefighters continued responding to isolated reignitions.
In the country’s western province of Caceres, nearly 800 residents who were evacuated after a forest fire broke out on Saturday were permitted to return home on Sunday. However, they were advised to remain indoors while firefighting operations continued.
Beyond the fires, prolonged drought has triggered severe water shortages across parts of Europe.
Water levels in major rivers, including the Danube and the Rhine, have fallen sharply, disrupting transportation, tourism and electricity generation.
Hungary is experiencing one of its worst water shortages in decades after historically low water levels on the Danube forced the temporary shutdown of the country’s only nuclear power plant for the first time in more than 40 years.
Authorities have also imposed water-use restrictions in more than 100 towns and villages.
Neighbouring Serbia has likewise recorded historically low Danube water levels, reducing electricity generation at its largest hydropower station to just 20 per cent of normal capacity, according to the country’s energy ministry.
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