Greek firefighting helicopter crash claims two lives

• A firefighting helicopter with four crew aboard crashed into the water off the Greek island of Samos.
• The other two crew members, a pilot and a colleague, were rescued.
• An investigation has been initiated into the origin of the fire that broke out on Wednesday.

The coastguard and fire service reported on Thursday that two individuals were killed after a firefighting helicopter with four crew members aboard crashed into the water off the coast of Greece.

The two guys, from Romania and Moldova, were found unconscious in the ocean off the coast of the island of Samos on Wednesday evening and were sent to the local hospital.

Attempts to resuscitate them failed, according to an AFP report from the coastguards.

Authorities say that the other two crew members, a pilot from Romania and a colleague from Greece, were saved.

State broadcaster ERT said that the mishap occurred when the helicopter was resupplying with seawater to extinguish a fire that broke out Wednesday afternoon near the village of Paleochori in the island’s southwest.

Strong winds continued to spread the fire on Thursday.

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The authorities reported that over 100 firefighters and 15 trucks, along with an army of volunteers, were on-site to combat it.

An investigation has been initiated into the origin of the fire.

Greece is subject to forest fires. They killed three individuals and devastated 130,000 hectares (1,300 square kilometres) of forest last year.

The majority of Western Europe is experiencing a heatwave.

Scientists say that climate change is linked to extreme weather events like heat waves and droughts, which make wildfires more likely.

It is anticipated that they will increase in frequency, duration, and intensity in the future.

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