Firefighting plane crash kills two pilots
Shepherd found dead on island of Evia, marking first day wildfires have claimed lives
The wildfires raging on the islands of Rhodes, Evia, Corfu and several locations in mainland Greece caused the first human casualties Tuesday.
Two Greek Air Force pilots died on the island of Evia when a Canadair CL-215 firefighting plane crashed near the town of Karystos shortly after 2 p.m., an Air Force spokesman announced.
And the charred body of a shepherd, who had left the Evia village of Platanistos Sunday, worried about his flock, was found Tuesday inside a hut, Greek media reported.
A state ERT TV video showed the bright yellow aircraft releasing its load of water before its wingtip apparently snagged in a tree branch. Moments later it disappeared into a deep fold in the ground from which a fireball erupted.
“They offered their lives to save lives,” Mitsotakis said of the pilots, Captain Christos Moulas, 34, and 2nd Lieutenant Periklis Stephanidis, 27. “They proved how hazardous their daily missions in extinguishing fires are … In their memory, we continue the war against the destructive forces of nature.”
The death of the two pilots was also commented on by officials and agencies abroad.
“Our thoughts are with the families of the crew, their comrades and the Greek people,” tweeted French president Emmanuel Macron.
Mitsotakis canceled a visit to Cyprus that was to start Wednesday, after talking with Cypriot President Nikos Christodoulides, who sent his condolences for the dead airmen.
The fires in Rhodes and Corfu are the most dangerous, the Fire Service said. On each island, four villages had to be evacuated as the blazes advanced. On southern Evia and northern Peloponnese, several flare-ups have been contained, the Fire Service added.
In the 24-hour period ending at 6 p.m. Tuesday, 53 new fires started across the country, most of which were promptly put out, the Fire Service said.
With a new heatwave peaking Wednesday, whole or parts of six of Greece’s 13 regions have been placed at “extreme risk” of wildfires breaking out, the highest category. The regions in danger are Attica, Central Greece and parts of Peloponnese, Western Greece, Thessaly and Central Macedonia. Other parts of the last four regions, plus Crete and the Ionian Islands face very high risk, authorities said.
[Kathimerini/AP]
