Midair Horror: Two Firefighting Helicopters Collide While Battling Massive Greece Wildfire, Rescue Operation Underway | Video
· Free Press Journal
Athens: Two firefighting helicopters collided in midair on Sunday afternoon while battling a massive wildfire in Greece's western Attica, according to Greek national broadcaster ERT.
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The helicopters crashed near the coastal area of Psatha shortly after the collision, prompting a large-scale rescue operation.
Video widely circulating online appears to show a midair collision between two aerial firefighting helicopters west of Athens, Greece, earlier today.
— OSINTdefender (@sentdefender) August 2, 2026
According to Greek authorities, two crew members aboard one of the helicopters were killed, while two others survived the… pic.twitter.com/Sx07o16Pzx
The pilot of one helicopter managed to contact the Fire Service's operations centre and reported that the co-pilot had been injured. Rescue operations were underway, the ERT reported.
There was no immediate information on the crew of the second helicopter, Xinhua News Agency reported.
Southern Europe is under serious pressure right now.
— EireX (@lastman3344) August 1, 2026
In Greece, a massive wildfire is tearing through the Porto Germeno area west of Athens. Hundreds of residents had to be evacuated by boat as flames closed in. Over 300 firefighters are battling it, with more than 70 fires… pic.twitter.com/6NzTCYTNNC
Meanwhile, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez announced on Thursday the end of the national emergency declared over wildfires in the province of Avila and the Madrid region, as fires in the two areas have largely stabilised, while blazes remain active elsewhere amid a new heatwave and strong winds.
At an emergency command centre in Navaluenga, Avila, Sanchez said the decision followed consultations with regional authorities and technical teams. Management of the emergency will now return to regional governments under a lower, Level 2 operational status.
The Burgohondo fire in Avila has burned more than 50,000 hectares and is considered the largest wildfire ever recorded in Spain. The blaze has been technically stabilised, and residents who had been evacuated have been allowed to return home.
Since the start of the year, nearly 130,000 hectares have burned across Spain, according to the European Forest Fire Information System.
Thousands of firefighters, soldiers, police officers and civil protection personnel have been deployed across the affected areas. The Military Emergency Unit continues to play a central role in protecting communities and critical infrastructure while supporting regional firefighting teams.
Spain has also activated the European Union Civil Protection Mechanism, under which Greece and Italy each offered two Canadair firefighting aircraft, together with an additional support aircraft.
(Except for the headline, this article has not been edited by FPJ's editorial team and is auto-generated from an agency feed.)