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Greek tragedy as firefighting plane slams into mountain
A tragic incident occurred in southern Greece as a firefighting plane crashed while battling fires on the island of Evia.
The plane, a Greek air force CL-215 water-bombing aircraft, crashed into the wildfire, resulting in the deaths of both pilots, aged 34 and 27.
The incident was captured in a state television broadcast, showing the plane releasing water on the fire before its wingtip got entangled in a tree branch, leading to it disappearing into a canyon and a subsequent fireball eruption.
This unfortunate event took place amidst a severe heatwave, marking the third successive heatwave in the country, with temperatures rising above 40 degrees Celsius. The heatwave has fueled the wildfires, leading to uncontrollable blazes across various parts of Greece.
The situation has forced nighttime evacuations as authorities grapple to contain the fires.
In response to the tragedy, Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis canceled his scheduled visit to Cyprus for Wednesday, and the Greek armed forces have declared three days of mourning to honor the pilots who lost their lives in service.