Fight against forest fires
Firefighting plane crashed in Greece – whereabouts of the pilots unclear
A fire-fighting plane drops water over a forest fire on the Greek island of Rhodes
© Petros Giannakouris / DPA
A fire-fighting plane crashed in Greece fighting forest fires. The accident happened on the island of Euboea. It was initially unclear whether the pilots survived 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 Greek Fire Brigade’s Canadair plane crashed near the village of Platanisto. At least two people were on board.
The two pilots belong to the Greek Air Force, as reported by the television station ERT, citing the Ministry of Defense. A helicopter was used to search for the supported machine, a reporter from the state broadcaster reported.
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.