Two Firefighting Helicopters Collide in Greece, Killing Two Crew Amid Wildfire Crisis

Two firefighting helicopters collided in midair in Greece, killing two crew members, as hundreds of personnel battled at least 220 wildfires recorded nationwide over the past week, according to the Greek Fire Service.

Nearly 500 firefighters and 23 aircraft were deployed to the main front west of Athens alone, but gale-force winds drove flames through dry forests and hampered the response, preventing some aircraft from safely reaching the sea to collect water. Hundreds of people were evacuated from coastal communities by boat after flames and smoke cut off roads.

The collision occurred on Sunday near Psatha, around 70km west of Athens, as the aircraft battled a major wildfire that broke out near Agios Vasileios on Friday before spreading toward Porto Germeno and the forested mountains west of the capital.

A Greek coordinator and a Danish pilot aboard one helicopter were killed, while the crew of the second aircraft – a Greek national and a British national – survived. No injuries were reported on the ground.

Footage circulating online appears to show one helicopter climbing into the flight path of the other before the aircraft collide. The lower helicopter then bursts into flames and plunges to the ground, while the second remains airborne.

Both aircraft were leased Bell helicopters operated by the Australian aerial firefighting company McDermott Aviation. The cause of the collision remains under investigation.

Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis expressed his “deepest sorrow” on X, describing the victims as “frontline fighters in the war against the fires under highly adverse weather conditions.”

The collision came just days after two firefighters were killed while battling a blaze on Crete, while a third died in the Peloponnese.

Europe has been grappling with a major wildfire crisis, with fast-moving fires around Madrid, Valencia and Bordeaux forcing hundreds of thousands of people to evacuate.

More than 9,000 emergency personnel have been mobilized, but dry conditions and another approaching heatwave have complicated efforts to contain what authorities have described as some of the worst wildfires on record.

Spain’s response has been hampered by the grounding of its fleet of Russian-made Kamov Ka-32 helicopters under EU sanctions imposed following the escalation of the Ukraine conflict. Madrid has acknowledged that the restrictions prevent operators from obtaining Russian spare parts or bringing Russian engineers into Spain to conduct maintenance and inspections. Replacement aircraft reportedly carry less water and are less effective in difficult conditions.