Live Roundups Editor's Desk Insights Executive Ops Weather About 🔍
Home › Weather › Greece crash latest: Two helicopters collide while...
Weather

Greece crash latest: Two helicopters collide while fighting wildfires as search and rescue underway

Greece crash latest: Two helicopters collide while fighting wildfires as search and rescue underway
The Independent World Sunday 02 August 2026, 14:33 UTC By Alex Croft and Aleksandar Vasovic 1 min read
Key Points

Two helicopters collide while fighting wildfires in Greece It comes as wildfires continue to burn across France, Spain and Greece - Bookmark - CommentsGo to comments Two firefighting helicopters collided while fighting wildfires west of Athens on Sunday, Greece's fire department said. A search and rescue operation for the crews is under way in the Psatha area, it added. Greek firefighters have been battling to control a huge wildfire that has destroyed over 100 homes northwest of Athens,...

Two helicopters collide while fighting wildfires in Greece It comes as wildfires continue to burn across France, Spain and Greece - Bookmark - CommentsGo to comments Two firefighting helicopters collided while fighting wildfires west of Athens on Sunday, Greece's fire department said. A search and rescue operation for the crews is under way in the Psatha area, it added. Greek firefighters have been battling to control a huge wildfire that has destroyed over 100 homes northwest of Athens, while a fresh blaze forced evacuations on the popular tourist island of Kefalonia. “During the aerial firefighting operation, two BELL helicopters, leased by the fire department, with a crew of two people each, crashed in the wider area of Psatha, Attica,” the Greek fire service said in a statement. “The helicopters had taken off from the Elefsina military airport.” Europe has been ravaged by wildfires this summer after a period of record-breaking heatwaves and little rain - conditions that scientists say have been exacerbated by climate change. Destructive blazes in France and Spain showed signs of easing over the weekend, but several wildfires have broken out in Greece after a period of relative calm there. Gale-force winds that fuelled the fire around Porto Germeno on the Gulf of Corinth 60 km (40 miles) northwest of Athens have subsided, but flames crossed a mountain to the south and reached the settlement of Veniza and a military firing range, activating unexploded ordnance. More follows on this breaking news story... Join our commenting forum Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies Comments
Greece (LOCATION) France (LOCATION) Spain (LOCATION) Athens (LOCATION) Psatha (LOCATION) Greek (ORG) Kefalonia (LOCATION) BELL (ORG) the fire department (ORG) Attica (LOCATION) Europe (LOCATION) Porto Germeno (LOCATION) the Gulf of Corinth (LOCATION) Veniza (ORG) Independent (ORG)
Originally published by The Independent World Read original →

Related Stories

Greece: fire brigade helicopters collide as wildfires spread

Greece: fire brigade helicopters collide as wildfires spread August 2, 2026Two fire brigade helicopters collided in mid-air in Greece on Sunday as firefighters continued to battle fierce wildfires around the Gulf of Corinth. The fire service said the two aircraft collided in the Psatha area, just to the west of the capital, Athens, adding that search and rescue teams were "immediately mobilized to locate and assist the crews." Television footage showed one of the helicopters explode and...

Deutsche Welle 15m ago

Princess Margaret, Lord Snowdon's country retreat on the market for first time in history at $5.3 million

Princess Margaret and Antony Armstrong-Jones, better known as Lord Snowdon's former country retreat, is on the market for the first time in the home's history. Known as The Old House, the home, which was gifted to Lord Snowdon by his uncle, designer Oliver Messel, prior to his marriage to Princess Margaret, is listed with Blue Book Agency for about $5.3 million. Originally built in 1481, the cottage in West Sussex came into the possession of the Messel family in 1890 and was passed down for...

Fox News 40m ago

Heatwave forces nuclear shutdown in Hungary

Heatwave forces nuclear shutdown in Hungary Heatwave forces nuclear shutdown in Hungary Hungary says a heatwave is forcing the shutdown of its largest nuclear power plant for the first time in 44 years. Scorching temperatures and drought have caused record-low water levels in the Danube river, disrupting reactor cooling systems. Published On 2 Aug 2026

Al Jazeera 56m ago

Firefighting helicopters collide near Athens as Greece battles wildfires

Firefighting helicopters collide near Athens as Greece battles wildfires Europe struggles with record-breaking summer heat as wildfires ravage Greece, France, and Spain, sparking evacuations. Two firefighting helicopters have collided west of Athens while battling wildfires that have destroyed more than a hundred homes and forced evacuations across Greece, as blazes continue to sweep across Europe following a summer of record-breaking heat. The two Bell helicopters, leased by the fire...

Al Jazeera 1h ago