Wildfires continue near Athens; two killed in helicopter collision
Greek firefighters are still battling wildfires near Athens, where two helicopters collided on Sunday, killing two crew members. Hundreds of homes have been destroyed and around 10,000 hectares have burned.
Greek firefighters are continuing to battle wildfires near Athens. Efforts are currently focused on blazes near the hilltop village of Agios Nektarios and northwest of the city of Megara, which has a population of about 36,000.
Although winds have subsided since the weekend, firefighting operations remain hazardous. Greece's civil protection authorities have warned that the risk of new wildfires is still very high.
On Sunday, two helicopters collided during a firefighting operation near Athens. One pilot and the co-pilot of one of the helicopters were killed. The responsible services have launched an investigation.
Last week, three firefighters died on the island of Crete and in the Peloponnese.
Officials say they plan to begin assessing fire-damaged homes as soon as possible so that residents can receive financial assistance.
According to Greek media reports, hundreds of houses have been destroyed in the Athens area and roughly 10,000 hectares of land have been burned.
