Two killed as firefighting helicopters collide in Greece

Footage broadcast on Greek TV showed one helicopter strike the other from above, sending it crashing in flames to the ground.

August 02, 2026 6:45 PM ET Two pilots died Sunday when their firefighting helicopters slammed into each other above a wind-driven wildfire west of Athens.The two aircraft went down in the Psatha area which had leased both Bell helicopters and put a two-person crew on each, according to the Associated Press (AP), citing

Two crew members, a Greek and a Danish national, died in the crash.

Footage broadcast on Greek TV showed one helicopter strike the other from above, sending it crashing in flames to the ground.

Two crew members were killed on Sunday when two helicopters battling a wildfire collided in midair in the Psatha area, on the boundary between Attica and Boeotia northwest of Athens, the Hellenic Fire Service said.

“These are extremely difficult days for our country,” Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis says as 130-km winds fan flames.

AGIOS KONSTANTINOS, Greece, Aug 2 (Reuters) - Two firefighting helicopters collided in Greece while helping to control a huge wildfire on Sunday that has destroyed more than 100 homes northwest of Athens, while people fled another blaze on the tourist island of Kefalonia.

Two crew members have been killed after two helicopters collided mid-air in Greece as they were battling wildfires, local authorities say.

Two firefighters are dead after a collision between two helicopters near Athens, as Europe's wildfire emergency continues.

Two firefighting helicopters collided midair as they battled wildfires in Greece on Sunday, killing two crew members in a village northwest of Athens.

A search and rescue operation is underway after two firefighting helicopters collided while tackling a wildfire near the Greek capital Athens. Officials said one Danish and one Greek national had been killed.

Europe continues to tackle wildfires, as Greece now becomes centre of immediate danger

Two Greek firefighting helicopters collided in midair on Sunday as they were battling a wind-driven wildfire west of Athens, sending one aircraft crashing to the ground. Two crew members, a Greek and a Danish national, died in the crash.

The aircraft were Bell helicopters operating over the Psatha area west of Athens, each with a two-person crew.

Two firefighting helicopters collided Sunday while battling a wind-driven wildfire in the Porto Germeno area west of Athens, and footage showed one of the aircraft crashing to the ground.

Greece’s fire department says the collision of two firefighting helicopters battling a major wildfire burning out of control west of Athens left two crew members dead, while another two were recovered alive

ATHENS, Greece (AP) — Two Greek firefighting helicopters collided in midair on Sunday as they were battling a wind-driven wildfire west of Athens, sending one aircraft crashing to the ground, footage showed. The four crew members were recovered, the Greek fire department said. Two were recovered safely while the other

Four crew members of a Greek firefighting helicopter were rescued after a midair collision with another helicopter, according to the Greek fire department. Two of the crew members were reported to be unconscious. Video captured the collision and shows the aircraft crashing to the ground.

The four crew members were recovered after the collision, the Greek fire department said, adding that two were recovered safely, while the other two were unconscious.

Both helicopters had two people on board at the time, according to the fire service.

Two firefighting helicopters collided while battling a wind-driven wildfire in the Porto Germeno area, west of Athens. Footage showed one of the aircraft crashing to the ground.

The hired Bell helicopters collided while battling a wildfire in the Psatha area west of Athens.

Two helicopters have collided and crashed while fighting a fire west of Athens, the Greek broadcaster ERT reported on Sunday. The pilots of one of the helicopters have made contact with fire brigade headquarters by radio, but the fate of the crew of the second helicopter remains unclear. Each helicopter was carrying a

Greek authorities ordered three more communities evacuated on Sunday as flames advanced through western Attica.

Craig Munro | Senior Politics Reporter Published August 2, 2026 3:20pm Updated August 2, 2026 3:20pm To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video A helicopter was captured on camera exploding into flames after it hit another while fighting a raging Greek

Europe struggles with record-breaking summer heat as wildfires ravage Greece, France, and Spain, sparking evacuations.

Two firefighting helicopters collide west of Athens  Reuters

"Search and rescue teams were immediately mobilised to locate and assist the crews," the fire service said.