Greece: At least 2 dead in collision of firefighting helicopters near Athens
At least two people were killed in a collision of firefighting helicopters west of Athens. Authorities have launched a search for the crews in the Psatha area, as emergency forces continue to battle wildfires.
At least two people were killed today, Sunday, in a collision of firefighting helicopters west of Athens, Greece, and authorities have launched searches for the crews in the Psatha area. Forces are battling flames that have already consumed more than 100 homes northwest of Athens, alongside a new fire that led to the evacuation of tourists on the island of Kefalonia. Nearly 500 Greek firefighters are deployed in the field with the assistance of forces from France and Romania.
Europe has been hit hard by forest fires this summer following a period of record-breaking heatwaves and a lack of precipitation, conditions that scientists say have been exacerbated by the climate crisis. In Greece, fires have reignited after a relatively calm period, while destructive fires in France and Spain showed signs of easing over the weekend.
At the same time, other countries on the continent are dealing with drought and a drastic drop in water levels in major rivers such as the Rhine and the Danube, which recorded its lowest level ever in Hungary, Serbia, and Romania. In Hungary, Prime Minister Péter Magyar said that the country is facing five critical days after the drying up of the Danube led to the closure of the country's only nuclear power plant for the first time in four decades, against the backdrop of additional heatwaves expected in the region.
