Witness an incredible firefighting aircraft combating a blazing wildfire in Vati village, located on Rhodes Island, Greece, captured on Tuesday in the lens of Damianidis Lefteris/EPA-EFE.
July 25 (UPI) — Tragedy struck as an aircraft assigned to battle the devastating wildfires on the Greek island of Evia crashed on Tuesday, claiming the lives of two brave pilots.
Greek Minister of National Defense, Nikos Dendias, confirmed the heartbreaking news, revealing that a 34-year-old and 27-year-old pilot perished in the crash near the town of Karystos while engaged in the perilous firefighting mission.
“The loss of these courageous Air Force Officers and dedicated firefighting aircraft operators, while selflessly striving to protect lives, property, and the environment of our nation, is an immense source of grief,” expressed Dendias, deeply saddened by the incident.
Authorities reported that the Canadair water bomber, carrying the two pilots, crashed into a ravine and burst into flames after colliding with a tree during a water drop operation to douse the blaze.
With temperatures soaring up to 104 degrees in some areas, Greece witnessed its eighth consecutive day of relentless wildfires, triggering the evacuation of Rhodes and Corfu.
In response to the escalating crisis and the Mediterranean’s vulnerability to climate change effects, Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis acknowledged the absence of a miraculous defense mechanism, stating, “If such a mechanism existed, we would have implemented it.”
Yesterday, the wildfires infiltrated the country’s mountainous forest areas, even encroaching upon parts of a nature reserve.
Greek government spokesperson Pavlos Marinakis emphasized the government’s unwavering commitment to citizen safety, visitor protection, and the preservation of human life during this tumultuous time.
Over 19,000 people in Rhodes, including British tourists, have been relocated to secure locations, with 3,000 individuals transported by boat.
Around 10% of the land in Rhodes has been affected by the wildfires, leading to extreme heat warnings for Crete and its southern Aegean islands.
In response, EasyJet and Jet2 have initiated evacuation flights to repatriate their customers, with Jet2 suspending all scheduled inbound flights for the next seven days.
EasyJet is operating a third flight today, while Jet2 dispatched five empty aircraft to Rhodes on Sunday, and all flights departing from British airports to Rhodes today have been scheduled as empty flights.
Marinakis revealed that Greece has been encountering an average of 50 new wildfires daily for the past 12 days, further exacerbating the crisis.
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