Two Dead After Firefighting Helicopters Collide in Greece
14 sources across 13 countries · 1 of them is linked to a state
Who reported this
- Der Spiegel
- Frankfurter Allgemeine
- Politico Europe
- Folha de S.Paulo
- El Tiempo
- France 24
- South China Morning Post
- ANSA
- The Japan Times
- Al Jazeera
- Daily Maverick
- El Pais
- BBC News
- Associated Press
What the colours mean
- Left
- Centre-left
- Centre
- Centre-right
- Right
- A hatched block means the outlet is affiliated with, or controlled by, a state.
Political lean describes where an outlet sits within the politics of its own country. It is never a position on a single global scale.
Political lean is comparable inside one country and not across them, which is why the bar groups by country first. Publicly funded broadcasters are not marked as state-linked.
The owner of each outlet is listed as a matter of record, not as a judgement about the outlet.
Two crew members died on Sunday after two firefighting helicopters collided mid air while battling wildfires west of Athens. The deceased have been identified as a Danish pilot and a Greek fire service liaison officer. Two other crew members, a British pilot and a Greek coordinator, survived the collision. The aircraft involved were Bell helicopters leased from the Australian company McDermott Aviation. Video footage of the incident shows one helicopter striking the other from above, causing one to explode and crash in flames while the second made an emergency landing. Following the accident, a source from the civil protection ministry stated that all Bell helicopters across Greece have been grounded as a precaution.
The collision occurred in the Psatha area, near the Gulf of Corinth, where firefighters have been struggling to contain a major blaze. Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis described the situation as extremely difficult due to gale force winds reaching 100 km per hour, which he said can exceed human planning and operational capacity. Reports indicate that over 10,000 to 16,000 hectares of forest and agricultural land have been destroyed in Greece over the past week. In addition to the two deaths on Sunday, other reports note that three firefighters died earlier in the week in Crete and the Peloponnese, bringing the total death toll related to the fires to five.
While the Greek government and various outlets highlight the role of extreme weather and climate change in fueling these blazes, some reports mention specific causes for the fires. One report citing the eKathimerini website suggested that the fire in the Attica region may have been caused by sparks from a private electricity network, leading to the arrest of two Greek nationals on suspicion of negligence. Meanwhile, on the island of Kefalonia, a 44 year old man was arrested on suspicion of deliberately starting a fire.
Broader coverage of the event places the Greek tragedy within a wider European wildfire emergency. Reports note that while major fires in Spain and France have shown signs of easing or being contained, new fronts have opened in France near Carcassonne and in the Var region. Outlets with a center left lean emphasize the context of the climate crisis and record breaking heatwaves, while center right outlets focus more on the immediate operational dangers and the specific impact on tourist areas.
How each side framed it
- Centre-left
- Framed the event as a consequence of the climate crisis and extreme weather patterns.
- Centre
- Focused on the factual details of the crash and the broader regional emergency in Europe.
- Centre-right
- Highlighted the operational challenges, the threat to tourist destinations, and the specific warnings issued to travelers.
Sources
- Centre ANSA: Flames in France and Spain. In Greece two firefighting pilots dead
- Centre-left Al Jazeera: Two helicopters collide mid-air while tackling wildfires in Greece
- Centre Associated Press: 2 killed when firefighting helicopters collide near Athens as Europe’s wildfire emergency rages - AP News
- Centre BBC News: Two crew killed after firefighting helicopters collide in Greece, as British pilot survives
- Centre-left Daily Maverick: Two die as firefighting helicopters collide in Greece, French blaze changes course
- Centre-left Der Spiegel: Forest fires in Greece: Two firefighting helicopters collided
- Centre-left El Pais: Two helicopters collide while extinguishing a fire in Greece
- Centre-right El Tiempo: Greece on maximum alert: megafire out of control advances toward Athens and two helicopters crash
- Centre Folha de S.Paulo: Helicopter collision in forest fire combat in Greece leaves two dead
- Centre France 24: Fire spread deeper into Athens region
- Centre-right Frankfurter Allgemeine: Fire in Greece: This is what the Foreign Office advises travelers in Athens
- Centre Politico Europe: Choppers collide, killing 2, as fires and foreboding grip Greece
- Centre-right South China Morning Post: 2 crew members dead, 2 found alive after firefighting helicopters collide in Greece
- Centre The Japan Times: Helicopter collision shows perils of fighting Europe’s wildfires
100% of the statements in this article were traced back to the source articles listed above.