Two Greek pilots died on Tuesday after the firefighting plane they were traveling in skidded during a mission on the island of Euboea, according to AFP.
“The Armed Forces declare three days of mourning for the deaths on duty of Air Force officers and pilots of the CL-215 firefighting apparatus, which operated in Euboea,” the Greek Defense Ministry said in a statement.
The fatalities, who had been reported missing, belonged to the Greek Air Force, according to the Defense Ministry, quoted by state television ERT, which recorded and broadcast images of the plane crashing after dropping water on a front of fire, followed by a large explosion.
A Canadair-style water bomber with “at least two people on board” crashed while fighting a forest fire in #Greecesouth of Evia, fire service spokesman Yannis Artopios told AFP. pic.twitter.com/R9zA3H9kxE
— Greek City Times (@greekcitytimes) July 25, 2023
This Tuesday, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa expressed “condolences for the victims of the firefighter plane accident”, in a note published on the official website of the Presidency of the Republic.
The Portuguese head of state also revealed that he had already spoken with his Greek counterpart, Katerina Sakellaropoulou, “to whom he conveyed words of solidarity for the tragic consequences caused by the fires that, as a consequence of the climate crisis, have devastated that country.”
Several fire teams and a helicopter went to the accident area.
Greece is experiencing a heat wave with record temperatures and has been the scene of several wildfires that continue to ravage parts of the Greek islands of Rhodes, Corfu and Euboea.
In Athens, the thermometers should reach 41ºC and in the center of the country, 44ºC, as forecast by the Greek meteorological agency (EMY).
These extremely high temperatures, which appear after a weekend of intense heat, will continue on Wednesday, with a drop forecast of up to 5ºC starting Thursday, according to the same source.
Source: TSF
