Takis Tsafos
dpa
(TNS)

Editor's note: Three firefighters died at two different wildfires in Greece last Wednesday.

Athens — The bodies of the pilots whose helicopter exploded and crashed during a firefighting mission in Greece on Sunday, after it appeared to be hit by another helicopter, have been recovered, the Greek fire service confirmed.

The crew of the helicopter that did not crash survived, though a co-pilot was injured, the media reported, citing fire service sources. State television said an emergency landing prevented the worst. 

The two helicopters collided while fighting a fire west of Athens, the Greek broadcaster ERT reported on Sunday. 

A large-scale search and rescue operation was launched in the area near the village of Psatha, the fire brigade said.

Meanwhile, the flames from the severe fire some 50 kilometres west of Athens have spread to within a few kilometres of the town of Megara, which has a population of around 36,000. 

According to initial estimates, more than 10,000 hectares of woodland - as well as houses, barns and agricultural land - has been destroyed since Friday, ERT reported.

Hundreds of emergency workers, including firefighters from Romania and France, are battling a major blaze raging around the densely wooded Kithairon mountain range. 

"The situation is chaotic," the mayor of Megara, the most important town in the region, said on Greek radio.

Athens residents are well aware of the firefighting operations as planes and helicopters repeatedly roar and rattle in the Athens skies on their way to the crisis area. A fire service spokesman said 13 people nationwide had so far been arrested on suspicion of negligent arson.

Greek prime minister: Situation exceptional

Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis spoke of an exceptional situation. "There are situations in which the nature and intensity of weather events overwhelm any human planning and any operational capability," he said in a post on Facebook.

Numerous villages were urged to evacuate via text message warnings. As firefighters battled the flames, members of animal welfare groups tried to bring pets, livestock and wild animals to safety from the fire zones, the Ethnos news portal reported. 

Meteorologists have estimated that around 10,000 hectares of forest and agricultural land had so far been destroyed in western Athens.

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