Two firefighting helicopters collide in Greece as country battles widespread blazes - follow live

Summary

Two firefighting helicopters have collided in Greece while tackling wildfires, the fire service says
The collision happened west of Athens on Sunday, according to the fire service - here's what we know so far
Greece is one of several European countries suffering wildfires after a succession of heatwaves across the continent
On Sunday, Greek PM Kyriakos Mitsotakis said that the country is facing extreme weather conditions and warned of "extremely difficult" days ahead

Have you been affected?

Live Reporting

Edited by Caitlin Doherty and Angus Thompson

Thousands evacuated from holiday island Crete this weekpublished at 17:23 BST
Image source, EPA/Shutterstock
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Residents and tourists were evacuated from several villages in Crete earlier this week
Fires have burned across multiple areas of Greece already this summer, prompting thousands to be evacuated.
One of those areas is the island of Crete, where a fire broke out on Wednesday and spread rapidly, destroying homes and agricultural land.
Flames fanned by strong winds led to around 8,000 people being evacuated from their homes overnight - they were later allowed to return.
Two firefighters died on the island on Wednesday when they became trapped while tackling a fire near Krya Vrysi in the Rethymno region.
Wildfires have ravaged parts of Spain and France this summerpublished at 17:11 BST
Wildfires in France and Spain forced mass evacuations last month, but situation in both countries now largely appears to have been brought under control.
In the Gironde region in France, the fire at one point came within kilometres of Bordeaux, but the region's prefect Sophie Brocas has since described the situation as "stable".
"The fire has been secured since yesterday morning," she said in a social media post on Saturday, though cautioned it was not yet extinguished.
A separate blaze flared up again in the Var region on Friday, but was described as being contained over most of its perimeter in an update today.
In Spain, the government lifted the state of emergency over the fires on Thursday.
Image source, Reuters
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A woman looks on as smoke rises from a wildfire in Madrid last month
Image source, EPA
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A firefighter, pictured on 29 July, works to contain a major blaze in France's Gironde region
Image source, Reuters
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A firefighting helicopter drops water on the blaze in Var on Saturday

Firefighters working in 'very difficult conditions' - expert tells BBCpublished at 16:45 BST
Meteorologist Theodore Giannaros tells the BBC News channel that the crews dealing with the fire in which the two helicopters crashed are "working under very, very difficult conditions".
"Since last Wednesday, my country is experiencing very bad fire weather," he says, adding that the fire has already burned more than 100,000 hectares of land in Greece.
"So conditions are very difficult, and both crews on the ground and through the air experience all this difficulty in containing this large event."
He also says climate change "sets the stage for larger and more intense wildfires due to the increased heatwaves, more dry vegetation and drought", but in the end, fire "also comes to human activity, either negligence or arson".
Where is Psatha, the area where the collision occurred?published at 16:41 BST
According to the fire service, the helicopters collided in the wider area of Psatha, Attica, a coastal area west of Athens.
Firefighters have been battling wildfires in the region, along with several other parts of the country.

Countries battling wildfires across Europe amid heatwave conditionspublished at 16:13 BST
Image source, Reuters
Image caption,
A firefighter works to extinguish a wildfire near Formariz, Spain, on Wednesday
Greece is one of several European nations suffering devastating wildfires after a succession of heatwaves and little rain created favourable conditions for them.
Since mid-July wildfires have torn through France, Spain, and Portugal, forcing hundreds of thousands of people to evacuate their homes.
Officials in the Spanish capital Madrid have said the fires are the worst the region has ever experienced.
More than 200,000 hectares of land has burnt across the country in 2026, roughly five times above the average by this point in the year, EU data shows.
A wildfire that broke out in the Gironde region of France was last week described by French President Emmanuel Macron as "completely unprecedented".
The UK has also been battling wildfires, with a blaze that devastated heathland in Suffolk declared stable on Saturday.
Have you been affected by the wildfires in Greece?published at 15:56 BST
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Olive branches and hoses used to put out flames as wildfires threaten Greecepublished at 15:55 BST
Image source, Reuters
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Workers use olive branches to extinguish flames during in the Megara valley
Image source, Reuters
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Volunteers try to extinguish a fire burning at a yard of a house in the settlement of Zachouli, in Attica
Image source, Reuters
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Firefighters battle an inferno near the village Agia Paraskevi
Greek PM warns of 'extremely difficult' days aheadpublished at 15:29 BST
Image source, Reuters
Earlier on Sunday, Greece's Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said that the country is facing "extreme weather conditions" and warned of "extremely difficult" days ahead amid the ongoing wildfires.
He says winds have reached 100 kilometres (60 miles) an hour, which means "the dozens of aircraft we have at our disposal cannot operate safely".
"There are moments when nature and the intensity of weather phenomena surpass any human planning and any operational capability," he writes on Facebook.
Mitsotakis has also paid tribute to three firefighters who died tackling the wildfires across the country earlier in the week and praised continued efforts of fire crews, volunteers and military personnel.

Greece battles wildfires across multiple frontspublished at 15:22 BST
Image source, Reuters
Thousands of people have been evacuated as wildfires rage in multiple areas of Greece, including parts of the mainland and tourist destinations.
On the island of Crete, fires have burned thousands of hectares of land and prompted the temporary evacuation of 8,000 people.
About 500 people, mostly tourists, were also evacuated in central Greece on Friday.
Fires have also broken out on the islands of Paros, Andros and Kalymnos.
Greece is one of several European countries suffering devastating wildfires after a succession of heatwaves created favourable conditions for them.
What we know so far about helicopter collision in Greecepublished at 15:11 BST
The collision occurred during firefighting efforts in Greece - here's what we do and don't know.
What we know
- Two helicopters are involved, each with a crew of two people, according to the fire service
- In a statement, it describes them as Bell helicopters leased by the fire department
- The crash took place in the wider area of Psatha, west of Athens
- A search and rescue operation is described as "under way"
What we don't know
- What caused the helicopters to collide
- The status of the crew - or their identities

Search and rescue operation under way after two firefighting helicopters crash in Greecepublished at 15:05 BST
Two helicopters have crashed in Greece while fighting wildfires west of Athens, fire service has said.
The incident is described as having taken place in the wider area of Psatha, Attica.
The helicopters were leased by the fire department and each had a crew of two people, having taken off from the Elefsina military airport, the statement says.
A search and rescue operation is under way.