The bodies of the two pilots who died in a firefighting helicopter crash in Greece have been found, the Greek fire service reported, quoted by DPA, BTA reports.
The incident occurred during a firefighting operation west of Athens, when two firefighting helicopters collided in mid-air. Upon impact, one helicopter exploded and crashed.
The deceased pilot is a Danish citizen, and the second pilot is Greek, Greek state television ERT reported. Their deaths brought the death toll from the country's wildfires to five, after three firefighters died last week fighting on the island of Crete and the Peloponnese peninsula.
Footage broadcast by ERT shows the moment when the rotor of one helicopter hits the other, after which the machine turns into a fireball and falls to the ground.
The crew of the second helicopter survived after the pilot managed to make an emergency landing.
A large-scale search and rescue operation was launched near the village of Psata following the crash. Meanwhile, the fire, which broke out about 50 kilometers west of Athens, has spread near the city of Megara, with a population of about 36,000.
According to Greek authorities, more than 10,000 hectares of forest, as well as numerous houses, farm buildings and agricultural land, have been destroyed since Friday.
Hundreds of emergency services, including firefighters from Romania and France, are involved in fighting the fire. The main efforts are focused on the fire in the Kytheron mountain range, where the situation remains complex.
The mayor of Megara described the situation as “chaotic”, while authorities continue to evacuate settlements via the emergency message system.
Investigators are investigating the version that the fire may have been caused by sparks from power lines connected to a private network of wind farms. Two people have already been detained in connection with the case.
Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis declared a state of emergency in the country, saying the force of the weather conditions sometimes exceeded the ability to respond.
The wind is expected to ease, but authorities warn that the risk of new forest fires in the Athens area remains very high.