Thursday, November 5, 2026

Wildfires: Two firefighting helicopters collide in Greece

The collision happened during aerial firefighting operations over a wildfire in the northwest of Athens.

• August 2, 2026
a scene from the collision
A scene from the collision[Credit: The Indian Express]

Two firefighting helicopters collided on Sunday while battling a massive wildfire northwest of Athens, Greece, as authorities also ordered evacuations on the tourist island of Kefalonia following a fresh blaze.

The collision happened during aerial firefighting operations over the wildfire, which has destroyed more than 100 homes in areas northwest of the Greek capital.

A video clip posted by Forecast Weather Greece on Facebook appeared to show two helicopters closing in to cross paths at low altitude, before the main rotor of the lower helicopter struck the underside of the one flying above it and crashed in flames. 

It also showed the second helicopter then dumped its load of water and flew away. 

In Greece, media reports describe “a titanic battle” along a swathe of territory that includes Porto Germeno, Psatha, Fokida, Megara and Kefalonia, where more than 500 firefighters have been struggling to bring the situation under control over the past 72 hours.

The mid-air collision occurred “during a forest firefighting operation in the Psatha area,” the Fire Department announced.

According to Greek media, the crew, which included two Greeks and two Romanians, was taken to the 251st Air Force General Hospital.

The government officials said the crew of one helicopter was located safely, with ambulances dispatched to evacuate them.

Officials also confirmed that the second helicopter had been located, while search-and-rescue teams were working to reach its crew.

We have recently deactivated our website's comment provider in favour of other channels of distribution and commentary. We encourage you to join the conversation on our stories via our Facebook, Twitter and other social media pages.

More from Peoples Gazette

Nigerian Bar Association

States

Independence: NBA urges Nigerians to expect better future

The NBA said that ordinary Nigerians should be deriving benefit from the subsidy removal rather than hardship.

farmers

Agriculture

FG tasks ECOWAS on leveraging financing strategies for agroecology

The federal government has urged stakeholders in the agriculture and finance sectors in the West Africa region to leverage financing strategies to enhance agroecology practices

Katsina State

Politics

Katsina youths pledge to deliver over 2 million votes to Atiku

“Katsina State is Atiku’s political base because it is his second home.”

Airport

World

Bomb threats forces multiple planes into emergency landing in Europe

For the second time this week, bomb threats forced airlines across Europe to make emergency landings on Thursday for safety reasons.

Fawaz Oyedeji

Diaspora

Nigerian Fawaz Oyedeji jailed in UK for attempting to steal car at gunpoint

Fawaz Oyedeji, who attempted to steal a Porsche Cayenne using an imitation firearm, has been sentenced to four years’ imprisonment.

Cristiano Ronaldo

Sport

Cristiano Ronaldo retires from international football

Cristiano Ronaldo has retired from international football. Ronaldo, 41, announced his retirement from the Portugal team in an Instagram video on Thursday.

Peter Obi

Politics

Peter Obi promises to revive Calabar Port, restore Cross River tourism

Former Labour Party presidential candidate Peter Obi has promised to revive the Calabar Port and revive Cross River’s tourism sector if elected president.

Armed Cops

States

Police confirm killing of man on wanted list

The police command in Akwa Ibom says a man simply identified as Mkpowo was killed during a confrontation with youths of the Essien Udim community on Wednesday.