Two crew members were killed after two firefighting helicopters collided mid-air while battling wildfires in Greece on Sunday.
The victims were identified as a Danish pilot and a Greek fire service liaison officer. A British pilot and another Greek fire service coordinator aboard the second helicopter survived the crash with minor injuries.
The collision occurred about 65 kilometres west of Athens as both helicopters were assisting efforts to contain a large wildfire along the Attica-Boeotia border.
Video circulating online shows one of the Bell helicopters striking the rotor blades of the other aircraft before it burst into flames and crashed into a ravine. The second helicopter managed to make an emergency landing.
According to the Greek Fire Service, both helicopters were leased from Australian aviation company McDermott Aviation for the country’s wildfire response operations.
The crew from one helicopter were rescued alive, while the two occupants of the second aircraft were found unconscious and later pronounced dead.
Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis expressed his condolences, saying the deaths of the Danish pilot and Greek coordinator had filled the nation with grief.
Following the accident, all Bell firefighting helicopters operating in Greece have been temporarily grounded as a precaution while investigations continue.
Officials said the British pilot and the Greek coordinator who survived remained conscious after the emergency landing and were taken to hospital, where they will be kept under observation for 24 hours.
Authorities clarified that the British pilot was a privately contracted pilot hired specifically for Greece’s wildfire season and was not part of any official assistance programme between the United Kingdom and Greece.
Local media reported that the two survivors immediately alerted emergency services after the collision, helping rescuers locate the crash site.
McDermott Aviation founder and president John McDermott extended his condolences to the families of those affected and said the company was cooperating fully with investigators.
Despite the tragedy, firefighting operations continue using Erickson Air-Crane, Chinook helicopters, and Canadair water-bombing aircraft.
Greece has been battling multiple wildfires in recent days following an intense heatwave, with more than 500 firefighters deployed across several affected regions, including Porto Germeno, Psatha, Fokida, Megara and Kefalonia.
Elsewhere in Europe, France and Spain have also been fighting major wildfires after prolonged periods of extreme heat, although several large blazes have now been brought under control.
Experts warn that while most wildfires are caused by human activity, climate change is creating hotter and drier conditions that allow fires to spread more rapidly and become increasingly destructive.
