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to MoroccoIsraeli strikes continue in Gaza as disarmament roadmap stallsChinese chip advances trigger week of global market swingsDrone strikes kill nine in Russia as Ukraine says it hit Saratov refineryIran says Hormuz route talks with Oman near completion as US blockade holdsRights group blames Sudan's army for drone strike on Darfur courtOPEC+ completes rollback of 2023 oil output cutsRosatom reports drone strike meters from Zaporizhzhia reactor buildingTwo water-bomber pilots killed as wildfire destroys homes near AthensAstraZeneca held talks on $400bn Bristol Myers mergerBrent falls below $82 as US holds off on Iran strikesSuicide bomber kills 14 at Pakistani police stationHungary shuts sole nuclear plant as Danube hits record lowEU labelling duty for AI-generated content takes effectBomb kills three at central Moscow restaurantChina drills at Scarborough Shoal and warns Manila of a 'head-on blow'Hackers hit US water systems in at least seven statesUS-backed Venezuela transition talks set to openWildfires around Spokane force 60,000 to evacuateAI funding boom shows signs of strainBeijing draws 'red lines' before trade talks with EU and USIsrael ties Lebanon deal to Hezbollah disarmament after Kafra blastGunmen kill 12 in Nigerian village and seize churchgoersUS restores part of its vaccine and health aidLula launches bid for fourth term against Bolsonaro's sonChina flash flood death toll rises to 25Israeli forces push into Syria's Quneitra provinceEU naval force boards sanctioned Russian shadow-fleet tankerAI policy groups demand federal probe into OpenAI breachModi speeds up informal Indo-Pacific bloc to counter ChinaOrtega scraps elections to cement family rule in NicaraguaUS weighs transfer of Patriot production technology to UkraineTaiwan warns China's hybrid warfare tests whole regionUS troop movements in Iraqi Kurdistan raise drawdown questionsKremlin pushes more Russian men into fighting in UkraineUK farmers warn drought could cause food shortagesTürkiye updates military readiness for Cyprus after UN chief's visitChina's private factory gauge shows weaker growthUS Senate leaders reach funding deal to avert shutdownPaul Weiss's capitulation reshaped US legal resistance to TrumpThird suspect arrested as more graves surface in Zubin PotokUS health secretary tells families to vaccinate against measlesPakistan applies for $10bn US forex facilityStorm leaves two dead and 180,000 without power in ChileMonte dei Paschi explores Banco BPM takeover as Rome plans exitLebanon weighs consequences of Salameh arrestIran-linked Foxtrot network recruits teenagers in EuropeBus collision kills eight in central Tanzania
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Symbolic image: Two water-bomber pilots killed as wildfire destroys homes near AthensSymbolic image

Two water-bomber pilots killed as wildfire destroys homes near Athens

5 sources

A wildfire northwest of Athens has destroyed more than 100 homes, and two firefighting helicopters collided on Sunday, killing the two-person crew of one aircraft. Crews now face new fire fronts near the coastal village of Porto Germeno.

What happened

  • The fire broke out on Friday, 31 July near Porto Germeno, 70 kilometres northwest of Athens; villages were evacuated.
  • Both helicopters crashed near Psatha in Attica; the crew of the second aircraft was rescued, the fire department said.
  • Greece's prime minister said the two dead crew members were a Dane and a Greek.
  • More than 500 firefighters and forest commandos are deployed around Porto Germeno, about 100 at a separate blaze at Egialea.
  • Gusts above 125 km/h have grounded aircraft; Le Monde reports over 12,000 hectares burned in Greece within a week.

The view from outside

German outlets cover the fire mainly through domestic consequences: the foreign office warns travellers of possible road closures and evacuations, German crews have arrived in Spain, and entering forest areas is banned in Saxon Switzerland.

What could happen next

  • FAZ reported on Monday that new fire fronts threaten Porto Germeno; the government warns of extremely difficult days ahead.
  • The burned area is unsettled: a National Observatory researcher puts the Porto Germeno fire above 10,000 hectares, nearly double initial estimates.
  • No cause has been given for the midair collision; the helicopters were leased from Australia's McDermott Aviation.
  • Further evacuations and closures remain possible as flames push towards Athens' western fringes.
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