Firefighting plane crashes in Greece, killing both pilots, as blazes rage across the region
- State TV showed the aircraft flying over the island of Evia where its wingtip snagged a tree branch causing it to dip to the ground and erupt into a fireball
- A third successive heatwave in the country pushed temperatures back above 40C on Tuesday causing fires that have raged out of control for days
A Greek air force water-dropping plane crashed while diving into a wildfire in southern Greece on Tuesday, killing both pilots, as authorities battled blazes that have been raging for days across the country amid a return of heatwave temperatures.
A state ERT TV video showed the CL-215 aircraft releasing its load of water on the island of Evia before its wingtip apparently snagged in a tree branch. Moments later it disappeared into a deep fold in the ground from which a fireball erupted.
The air force said the pilots, aged 34 and 27, both died in the crash. The plane had no ejection system.
Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis cancelled a planned visit to Cyprus for Wednesday, and three days of mourning were called for Greece’s armed forces.
03:01
Wildfire in Greece leaves thousands of tourists stranded at airport
A third successive heatwave in Greece pushed temperatures back above 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit) across parts of the country on Tuesday amid a string of evacuations from fires that have raged out of control for days, whipped on by strong winds.