Fight against forest fires
Two pilots die in firefighting plane crash in Greece
Watch the video: firefighting plane crashed in Greece – fires on Rhodes continue to rage.
Tragic accident related to the forest fires in Greece. A firefighting plane crashed over the Greek island of Euboea. Images from state broadcaster ERT showed the low-flying plane disappearing into a ravine before a fireball was seen moments later. According to the Greek Air Force, there were two pilots on board the aircraft. The Air Force said two helicopters flew to the scene of the accident to carry out a search and rescue operation. At first there was no further information. Meanwhile, forest fires continue to rage on the Greek island of Rhodes. Strong winds and high temperatures made extinguishing the fire difficult. Around 20,000 people had to evacuate their homes and hotels over the weekend after the flames reached coastal towns in the south-east of the island. Those who were still able to stay in their homes are fighting the threat. In the village of Dad, they helped the firefighters – but the frustration is great: “Planes, planes. We have people. You see, we have a lot of people. It is not possible for one person to do anything about these big fires. So we need planes now and we only have five. So that’s the most important thing for the island to bring planes.” “Come firefighters and help us. Without them, I don’t know what will happen then. All over the island, the burning animals. It’s all so sad. Such a shame, such a shame.” Forest fires on the Italian island of Sicily also kept the emergency services in suspense. Palermo airport had to be temporarily closed. It is extremely hot on the island at the moment. Temperatures of over 47 degrees Celsius were measured on Monday.
A fire-fighting plane crashed in Greece fighting forest fires. The accident happened on the island of Euboea. The pilots did not survive the crash.
A fire-fighting plane crashed on Tuesday while fighting a forest fire on the Greek island of Euboea. Fire Department spokesman Yannis Artopios said the Hellenic Fire Department’s Canadair plane crashed near the village of Platanisto. The two pilots, aged 34 and 27, died, the General Staff of the Hellenic Air Force said on Tuesday. The Greek Ministry of Defense ordered a three-day mourning for the armed forces. Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis has also canceled a trip to the Republic of Cyprus planned for Wednesday, his office said.
Fire brigade in Greece in continuous action against forest fires
According to the first findings of the Greek authorities, the plane crashed into a ravine. The accident happened in the mountains of Karystos on the south coast of Euboea, where it has been burning since Sunday. According to the information, a hundred firefighters and at least three other aircraft were involved in the extinguishing operation.
State television released a video purporting to show the crash. You can see how the machine sheds water, flies to the side, loses altitude and hits the ground with the right wing. Then flames and smoke rise. There are usually two people on board such fire-fighting aircraft.
The Greek fire brigade has been fighting forest fires on the islands of Rhodes, Corfu and Euboea for days, which have already destroyed tens of thousands of hectares of land. Thousands of tourists and locals have been evacuated from the resort islands of Rhodes and Corfu. “Extreme danger” from forest fires continued in many parts of the country on Tuesday.
Editor’s Note: This article has been updated.