A Briton has survived after two firefighting helicopters collided while fighting wildfires west of Athens on Sunday, killing two people, Greek authorities said.
A Greek and a Danish national were killed in the helicopters collision, the fire service said, adding that a British pilot and Greek liaison onboard the second helicopter both survived.
The two helicopters collided in the area of Psatha in the Attica region, Greece's fire service said in a statement.
Greek firefighters have been battling to control a huge wildfire that has destroyed over 100 homes northwest of Athens, while a fresh blaze forced evacuations on the popular tourist island of Kefalonia.
The crash comes after three firefighters were killed while battling out-of-control wildfires on Crete and in mainland Greece.
In Crete, two firefighters died after becoming trapped between two fire fronts in the region of Rethymno on Wednesday. A third firefighter was found unconscious near the southern Peloponnese port town of Gytheio and was later pronounced dead.
Europe has been ravaged by wildfires this summer after a period of record-breaking heatwaves and little rain - conditions that scientists say have been exacerbated by climate change.
Key Points
- Briton survived the crash but two killed, Greek fire service confirms
- Mapped: Where did the two helicopters collide near Athens?
- Helicopter crash comes after 3 firefighters killed in Greece this week
- In pictures: Fire service battles vast, vicious flames
- Firefighting helicopters collide while battling Greece wildfire
Greek president pays tribute to firemen killed in crash
20:12 , Alex Croft
We’ve just heard from Greek president Konstantinos Tasoulas, who visited the Civil Protection Coordination Center in Athens on Sunday.
He said the “tragic incident” highlights the “dangerousness of the challenges faced by Fire Department Personnel.
Tasoulas was briefed on the situation around Psatha, Attica, by the climate minister and fire department before making his statement, Proto Thema reported.
“It is with deep sorrow that I learned earlier today of the loss of life of the pilot and the coordinator of the firefighting helicopter during an aerial firefighting operation in Psatha, Attica.
“The tragic incident highlights the danger of the challenges faced by the Fire Department executives as well as all those who perform their duty defending human lives, cities and communities, as well as the natural wealth of our country.”
Greek PM pays condolences to Greek and Danish nationals killed
19:40 , Alex Croft
Greek prime minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis has expressed his “deepest sorrow” over the deaths of a Danish pilot and Greek coordinator in today’s crash.
“I express my deepest sorrow for the tragic accident involving the two leased firefighting helicopters that cost the lives of two frontline fighters in the war against the fires under highly adverse weather conditions—especially for our aerial assets,” he wrote.
“The loss of the Greek coordinator and the Danish pilot while they were operating in the major fire at Porto Germeno fills us all with grief. Sincere condolences to their families.”
Εκφράζω τη βαθύτατη θλίψη μου για το τραγικό δυστύχημα με τα δύο εκμισθωμένα πυροσβεστικά ελικόπτερα που στοίχισε τη ζωή σε δύο μαχητές της πρώτης γραμμής στον πόλεμο με τις φωτιές υπό πολύ αντίξοες καιρικές συνθήκες -ειδικά για τα εναέρια μέσα μας.
— Prime Minister GR (@PrimeministerGR) August 2, 2026
Η απώλεια του Έλληνα…
Briton survived the crash, Greek fire service confirms
19:15 , Alex Croft
We’ve had confirmation from the fire service that a Briton survived the crash, as did his crewmate on the
Two people on one helicopter — a Greek and a Danish national — died, while the crew on the other, one person from Greece, one from Britain, survived, the fire service said.
Investigations had started into what caused the collision, it added.
Stay with us as we bring you all the latest developments on this crash.
18:50 , Alex Croft
In pictures: Greece in flames as wildfires continue battering southern Europe
18:13 , Alex Croft
Breaking: Officials confirm Greek and Danish national killed
17:44 , Alex Croft
As we’ve been reporting, Greek media said the helicopter in which two people died had one Greek and one Danish national onboard.
Officials in Greece have just confirmed that a Greek and Danish national were killed in the collision near athens.
One of the helicopter pilots was British, reports Greek media
17:41 , Alex Croft
Greek media is reporting that the surviving pilot of one of the helicopters was British.
The British pilot and Greek liaison of the helicopter have been taken to hospital, where they are going through imaging and laboratory tests, reports Proto Thema.
The second helicopter was being flown by a Danish pilot and had a Greek liaison onboard. They are both reported to have died in the crash.
Two killed in Greece helicopter crash - while crew of second helicopter survive
17:06 , Alex Croft
Both crew members from one of the two firefighting helicopters that collided on Sunday in the Greek area of Psatha, west of Athens, died in the incident, Greece's Fire Service said.
The second crew were rescued alive, it added.
Nuclear plant in Hungary forced to shut due to fires
16:33 , Alex Croft
Other European countries are struggling with drought and receding water levels in major rivers, including the Rhine and the Danube, which recorded its lowest-ever water levels in Hungary, Serbia and Romania.
Hungary faces a critical five days, Prime Minister Peter Magyar said on Sunday, as the drying out of the Danube forced the country's sole nuclear power plant to shut for the first time in more than four decades, with a new heatwave looming.
Falls in water levels amid a lack of rain have also disrupted shipping and tourism in Hungary and triggered water-use restrictions in more than 100 cities and villages.
Danube levels in Serbia fell to their lowest since 1985, cutting the daily output of the country's biggest hydropower plant to only 20%, the energy minister said on Sunday.
A look at the wildfires devastating Europe this week
16:16 , Alex Croft
Europe is reeling after one of its worst wildfire seasons on record, and just days ago, Greek prime minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis had warned there were “difficult days ahead”.
The area of land burned in France is already 40 per cent larger than the previous record year. President Emmanuel Macron has described this season’s wildfires as the worst disaster to face the country since the Second World War.
In Spain, fires in eastern Castellon have burnt more than 10,000 hectares as weather conditions continue to trigger several flare-ups. At least six regions in the country have been placed on orange alert, the second-highest level in the country's weather alert system.
Here’s a wider look at the impact of the wildfires across Europe - and a map of where they are burning now.
Mapped: Devastating wildfires hit Greece after EU warns ‘whole continent’ at risk
Helicopter crash comes after 3 firefighters killed in Greece this week
16:00 , Alex Croft
Crash comes after three firefighters were killed while battling out-of-control wildfires on Crete and in mainland Greece.
In Crete, two firefighters died after becoming trapped between two fire fronts in the region of Rethymno on Wednesday.
A third firefighter was found unconscious near the southern Peloponnese port town of Gytheio and was later pronounced dead.
They “fell heroically in the line of duty, safeguarding the lives and property of citizens as well as the natural environment," a statement from the fire department said.
“The wind is unbelievable – you can't stand sometimes,” Krya Vrysi resident Chrissa Gioukaki said, recalling the disaster. “The flames were huge, it was really scary.”
Greece the latest country to be hit by devastating wildfires
15:46 , Alex Croft
Greece has been the latest country struck by the devastating wildfires that have swept across southern Europe this week, in particular Spain and Italy.
Gale-force winds fuelling a fire around Porto Germeno, near Athens, have subsided.
But the flames crossed a mountain southwards and have reached the settlement of Veniza and a military firing range - causing unexploded ordnance to ignite.
Firefighters focused their efforts on preventing fire from advancing towards the coastal town of Megara, which has a population of around 30,000.
"There are moments when the force of nature and the intensity of weather conditions exceed all human planning and every operational capability,” Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said in his regular Sunday message.
Greek authorities issued emergency alerts for evacuations for a number of settlements in western Attica, including an industrial estate near Megara.
Greek daily Protothema reported that a major effort was under way to prevent the fire from Veniza from reaching the nearby coastal town of Megara. It said more than 10,000 hectares of land had likely been destroyed by the fire so far.
Overnight, several settlements on the Ionian island of Kefalonia were evacuated after a fire broke out in the Pastra area in the south.
In pictures: Greek fire service battles vicious flames
15:41 , Alex Croft
Crew of one helicopter safe
15:38 , Alex Croft
The crew of one of the helicopters have been located and is safe, government officials said.
An ambulance is on its way to pick the crew up, it added.
As for the second crew, the helicopter has been located and a search and rescue operation is underway for its occupants.
Stay with us as we bring you more on the rescue operation.
Two firefighting helicopters collide while battling Greece wildfire
15:36 , Alex Croft
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 a fresh blaze forced evacuations on the popular tourist island of Kefalonia.
Europe has been ravaged by wildfires this summer after a period of record-breaking heatwaves and little rain – conditions that scientists say have been exacerbated by climate change.
Destructive blazes in France and Spain showed signs of easing over the weekend, but several wildfires have broken out in Greece after a period of relative calm there.
Two helicopters collided during a firefighting operation in the area of Psatha in the Attica region, west of Athens, Greece's fire service said in a statement.
Footage posted on the Forecast Weather Greece Facebook page appeared to show two helicopters closing 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. The second helicopter then dumped its load of water and flew away.
