Two helicopters have crashed into one another while fighting wildfires in Greece.
Emergency services were called after the aircraft collided in the Psatha region, west of Athens.
The BELL helicopters were each carrying two passengers and had taken off from the Elefsina military airport.
Hundreds of firefighters were today battling wind-fuelled fires near Porto Germeno on the Gulf of Corinth, northwest of the capital.
Authorities said strong winds made the fire spread more quickly and made it unpredictable for firefighters.
‘The situation is extremely hard, especially today. We have really strong winds, gusts exceeding 73 kph (45 mph). The direction of the fire can’t be determined easily,’ doctor and firefighter Giorgos Doulas said.
The fire department’s deputy spokesman Yiannis Artopios told state TV ERT that the wind was so strong that firefighters on the scene ‘couldn’t even open their vehicle doors’.
Nearly 500 Greek firefighters have been deployed to the region, assisted by emergency crew from France and Romania.
Two helicopters have crashed into each other while fighting wildfires in Greece
The aircraft are seen plummeting to the ground following the collision
The aircraft were both carrying two passengers and had taken off from the Elefsina military airport
This is a breaking news story. More to come
