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Firefighting aircraft in Greece (symbolic image)
Photo: Damianidis Eleftherios / Anadolu Agency / Getty Images
On the Greek island of Euboea, a firefighting plane crashed, which was used in the fight against a forest fire. The machine crashed near the village of Platanistos, said a fire department spokesman. There were two pilots on board.
According to the initial findings of the authorities, the plane crashed into a ravine. The accident occurred in the mountains of Karystos on the south coast of Euboea, where it has been burning since Sunday. According to the information, a hundred firefighters and at least three other aircraft were involved in the extinguishing operation.
The two pilots are said to have belonged to the Greek Air Force, as reported by the television channel ERT, citing the Ministry of Defense. Video footage broadcast by ERT shows the crashing plane disappearing behind flames and a cloud of black smoke.
"Extreme danger" from forest fires
The Air Force said a search and rescue operation was underway, according to the AP news agency, but the prospects for the two pilots were not good because the plane did not have an ejection seat system.
The Greek fire brigade has been fighting forest fires on the islands of Rhodes, Corfu and Euboea for days, which have already destroyed tens of thousands of hectares of land. Thousands of tourists and locals were brought to safety from the resort islands of Rhodes and Corfu. In many parts of the country, there was still "extreme danger" from forest fires on Tuesday.
bbr/AFP/AP