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Over 30 arrests made
Greece has arrested 33 people in the past five days in connection with the wildfires, the fire service said. Thirty of those were on suspicion of negligence related to fires, and three on suspicion of "intent".
13 hours ago22:16 Rebecca Robinson
Over 200 fires across Greece
Chief fire officer Vasilios Vathrakoyannis said 220 wildfires have been reported across Greece in the past week as the nation is "going through perhaps the most difficult days of the summer".
He added: "The fire brigade was called upon to manage a series of particularly demanding and simultaneous incidents, with major fronts in Paros, Rethymno, Heraklion, Aegialia, Fokida, Lesvos and Kalymnos, where strong ground and air forces were deployed, under extremely adverse weather conditions."
Greece has seen over 200 wildfires this week. (Image: Getty)
15 hours ago20:49 Rebecca Robinson
Second helicopter made emergency landing
The second helicopter involved in the crash made an emergency landing in an area of low vegetation, a source from the Greek Ministry of Civil Protection told the BBC. Both people on board, a British pilot and a Greek fire service liaison officer, survived.
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16 hours ago19:37 Rebecca Robinson
Two arrested over wildfire
Two people have been arrested on suspicion of negligence amid the wildfire sweeping through North-west Athens, local media reports.
The fire started in the Boeotia region before spreading to Attica - the site of the helicopter crash. Investigators believe it was started by sparks from a power network, Reuters reports.
18 hours ago18:15 Rebecca Robinson
Survivors rushed to hospital
The two survivors of the crash - a British pilot and a Greek fire service liaison officer - have been taken to the 251 Air Force General Hospital in Athens for treatment.
18 hours ago18:04 Rebecca Robinson
PM expresses 'deepest sorrow' as two dead
Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis expressed his "deepest sorrow" for the "tragic accident". He said the incident "fills us all with grief" and sent his condolences to the victims'families.
He wrote on X: "I express my deepest sorrow over the tragic accident involving the two leased firefighting helicopters that claimed the lives of two frontline fighters in the battle against wildfires under extremely adverse weather conditions —especially for our aerial resources.
"The loss of the Greek coordinator and the Danish pilot while they were operating at the major fire in Porto Germeno fills us all with grief. My sincere condolences to their families."
18 hours ago17:57 Rebecca Robinson
Greek and Danish nationals killed
Greece's fire department said the two people killed in the helicopter crash were a Greek national, a fire service liaison officer, and a Danish national, a pilot.
18 hours ago17:50 Rebecca Robinson
Brit survives crash
Greece's fire department said a British citizen survived the helicopter crash, alongside a Greek national. The two people on board the other helicopter sadly died.
18 hours ago17:21 Rebecca Robinson
Local reports on victims
Local media is reporting that one of the victims was Greek and the other was a foreign national, though this has not been confirmed by officials.
19 hours ago17:03 Rebecca Robinson
Two people killed
Two people have died in the helicopter crash, the Greek fire service confirmed. They were the only people on board one of the aircraft, while the two people in the other helicopter survived.
19 hours ago17:02 Rebecca Robinson
Rescue operation 'very difficult'
Meteorologist Theodore Giannaros said the search and rescue crews are "working under very, very difficult conditions".
He told BBC News: "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."
19 hours ago16:22 Rebecca Robinson
'We're doing everything we can'
Tasos Tzempelikos, 61, lives in the village of Agios Konstantinos and has been pouring water on the fire along with his son. He said, per NBC News: "The fire has been burning since last night, it is certain that they cannot have forces everywhere. We as residents are doing everything we can."
20 hours ago16:00 Rebecca Robinson
'Extremely difficult conditions'
Climate Crisis and Civil Protection Minister Evangelos Tournas said: "The very strong to gale-force winds continue to create exceptionally difficult conditions."
Extreme turbulence was preventing some aircraft from collecting water or approaching the fires closely enough to make drops, he said.
20 hours ago15:45 Rebecca Robinson
'Total destruction' of 'a paradise'
Minas Tzortzanis, a 60-year-old farmer and resident of Agios Vasileios, told the Associated Press: "A pristine forest, a paradise, was surrendered to the hands of the fire. There are no words to explain what has happened. Destruction. Total destruction."
20 hours ago15:38 Rebecca Robinson
'Extremely difficult' days ahead
Greece's Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said the country faces "extremely difficult" days ahead amid the wildfires as "the dozens of aircraft we have at our disposal cannot operate safely".
He added: "There are moments when nature and the intensity of weather phenomena surpass any human planning and any operational capability."
Kyriakos Mitsotakis warned of difficult days ahead. (Image: Getty)
20 hours ago15:35 Rebecca Robinson
One helicopter crew found safe
A government official told Reuters that the crew members on board one of the helicopters have been found and are "safe". They said the other helicopter has been found, but the search and rescue operation is continuing to find out who was on board.
20 hours ago15:32 Rebecca Robinson
19 square miles burnt
Theodore Giannaros, a wildfire meteorologist at the National Observatory of Athens, estimated that 15 to 19 square miles of land had been affected by the wildfires in the area. Authorities had not issued an official burned-area figure.
20 hours ago15:28 Rebecca Robinson
How did the fire begin?
The fire began on Friday near Agios Vasileios before sweeping toward Porto Germeno and into the forested mountains west of Athens.
Hundreds of firefighters have been deployed. (Image: Getty)
20 hours ago15:27 Rebecca Robinson
Over 250 people evacuated
Firefighters evacuated 254 people by sea on Friday and another 12 on Saturday - often the last escape route when fire and smoke cut the few roads from coastal communities.
20 hours ago15:24 Rebecca Robinson
500 firefighters and 23 aircraft deployed
Nearly 500 firefighters and 23 aircraft were deployed to fight fires near Athens, but gale-force winds drove flames through dry forest and hindered the response by preventing some aircraft from reaching the sea to collect water.
20 hours ago15:21 Rebecca Robinson
Firefighters battling strong winds
Flames spread through western Attica, the region around Athens, threatening communities and an industrial district outside Megara as strong winds prevented firefighting aircraft from collecting water from the sea.
Wildfires have been raging near Athens. (Image: Getty)
20 hours ago15:16 Rebecca Robinson
Two people on board each helicopter
The Greek fire department confirmed that each helicopter was carrying two people, and one crashed after it hit the other.
21 hours ago15:14 Rebecca Robinson
Where is Psatha?
Psatha is a scenic coastal region and popular beach destination in Greece, located on the Corinthian Gulf in Attica, just under 40 miles west of Athens.
21 hours ago15:12 Rebecca Robinson
Update from fire service
Greece's fire service said: "During the aerial firefighting operation, two BELL helicopters, leased by the fire department, with a crew of two people each, crashed in the wider area of Psatha, Attica.
"The helicopters had taken off from the Elefsina military airport. The search and rescue operation is under way."
21 hours ago15:10 Rebecca Robinson
Where did the incident occur?
Two helicopters collided while tackling wildfires in the Psatha area, west of Athens, Greece's fire department said.
21 hours ago15:08 Alice Scarsi
Welcome to our live blog
Welcome to our live blog. We'll bring you the latest on the incident involving two helicopters in Greece.
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