Two crew members were killed and two others survived after two firefighting helicopters collided mid-air in Greece on Sunday while battling wildfires. The fatalities were a Danish pilot and a Greek fire service liaison officer, while a British pilot and another Greek co-ordinator survived the crash, according to the Greek Fire Service.

Helicopters Collide Mid-Air During Firefighting Efforts

Video footage of the incident, which occurred around 65 km (42 miles) west of Athens, shows one of the two Bell helicopters hitting the propellers of the other, causing it to burst into flames and crash into a ravine. The other aircraft made an emergency landing, a source from Greece’s civil protection ministry told the BBC.

The collision happened as part of a broader effort to tackle a large wildfire that has been burning along the Attica-Boeotia border, though the crew members of one aircraft were rescued alive, while the second crew were found unconscious and later pronounced dead.

British Pilot and Greek Officer Survive with Minor Injuries

The two people who survived the incident, a British pilot and a Greek fire service liaison officer — were admitted to a hospital for observation; Both remained conscious after the collision, according to the ministry source. The British pilot was a private contractor hired for the wildfire season and was not part of any formal exchange program between the UK and Greece.

The source added that the second Bell helicopter involved in the collision made an emergency landing in an area of low vegetation; the survivors immediately reported the crash and guided rescuers to the site, according to Greece’s Ekathimerini news website.

Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis expressed his “deepest sorrow” over the accident in a post on X; he said the loss of the Greek coordinator and Danish pilot “fills us all with grief” and extended his condolences to their families.

Wildfires Worsened by Climate and Vegetation Conditions

Wildfires have been breaking out across Greece this week, prompting mass evacuations — the situation is part of a broader pattern of devastating blazes that have also hit other European countries during prolonged heatwaves. In France and Spain, two of the largest fires were near Madrid and Bordeaux, respectively, as these have now been contained, though they are still burning. Some 300,000 people who were evacuated have started to return to their homes.

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

Most wildfires are sparked by people, whether intentionally or accidentally, but climate change is making the conditions for them more common, but Last winter’s mild and wet weather encouraged vegetation growth, which has since dried out in successive hot spells, creating fuel for wildfires.

According to protocol, all Bell helicopters across Greece have been grounded following the incident, the civil protection ministry source confirmed, though Erickson Air-Crane and Chinook helicopters, as well as Canadair water-bombing aircraft, are continuing firefighting efforts in the region.