Two dead after plane crashes fighting wildfires in Greece

dailyrecord.co.uk:

Two pilots have been killed after a plane dropping water over wildfires in Greece crashed on Tuesday. The incident occurred on the island of Evia, and was aired in a state television broadcast that showed the low-flying Greece air force aircraft disappearing into a canyon before a fireball was seen moments later.

The air force said the pilots, aged 34 and 27, both died in the crash. The plane had no ejection system. Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis cancelled a planned visit to Cyprus for Wednesday, and three days of mourning were called for Greece's armed forces."They offered their lives to save lives," Mr Mitsotakis said of the pilots. "They proved how hazardous their daily missions in extinguishing fires are ...

In their memory, we continue the war against the destructive forces of nature."Temperatures have risen above 40C again in parts of Greece following more night-time evacuations from fires that have raged out of control for days.The latest evacuation orders were issued on the islands of Corfu and Evia while a blaze on the island of Rhodes continued to move inland, torching mountainous forest areas, including part of a nature reserve.Desperate residents, many with wet towels around their necks to stave off the scorching heat, used shovels to beat back flames approaching their homes, while firefighting planes and helicopters resumed water drops at first light.Authorities said that more than 20,000 people have been involved in evacuations on the island, mostly tourists over the weekend, when fire swept through two coastal areas on the south east of Rhodes.Among them was Serbian basketball star Philip Petrusev, a player for US team the Philadelphia 76ers who was holidaying on Rhodes with his partner Tiana