Greece firefighting helicopters collide as battle to contain wildfires continues

Two helicopters collided and crashed while fighting a fire west of Athens, the Greek broadcaster ERT reported on Sunday.One aircraft went crashing to the ground, footage showed.The four crew members were recovered after the collision, the Greek fire department said later, adding that two were recovered safely, while the other two were unconscious.A large-scale search and rescue operation had been launched in the area near the village of Psatha.Nearly 500 firefighters and 23 aircraft were earlier deployed to fight fires, but gale-force winds drove flames through dry forest and crippled the response, preventing some aircraft from reaching the sea to collect water.A fireman runs to extinguish a fire in an olive grove in the settlement of Zachouli, Greece, on Sunday. Photo: ReutersThe danger carried grim resonance in a region where the 2018 Mati wildfire killed 104 people, Europe’s deadliest blaze this century.