Two dead as firefighting helicopters collide midair while battling massive Greece wildfire near Athens

Two firefighting helicopters collided in the west of Athens, Greece, while battling a wildfire on Sunday. The firefighting operation was going on in the area of Psatha in the Attica region of Athens, Greece. Footage posted on the Forecast Weather Greece Facebook page showed that the two helicopters closed in at low altitude, while the rotor of one helicopter struck the underside of another flying above it and plunged into the ravine in flames. The other helicopter dumped its water and flew away.

The Greek fire service Search and rescue teams are deployed as the rescue operation continues for the crew of one helicopter, while the crew of the other helicopter had been located and were safe. Reports indicate that two crew members from the crashed helicopter were recovered unconscious or deceased.

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Greece is facing a massive blaze that has destroyed more than 100 homes northwest of Athens, while a fresh blaze forced evacuations on ​the popular tourist island of Kefalonia. "The fire has been burning since last night; it is certain that they cannot have forces everywhere. We as residents are doing everything we can,” said Tasos Tzempelikos, a resident of Agios Konstantinos near the coastal town of Megara. Firefighters focused their efforts on preventing fire from ​advancing towards Megara, which has a population of around 30,000.

The country is experiencing extreme summer weather conditions and severe gale-force winds, which are forcing it towards extreme weather conditions. More than 10,000 hectares of land had ‌likely been ⁠destroyed by the fire so far. Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said that it was a "force of nature” which exceeded all human planning and every operational capability.