IN the midst of devastating wildfires sweeping through Greece, a Canadair Cl-215 plane operated by the Greek Air Force crashed tragically, claiming the lives of a 34-year-old commander and his 37-year-old co-pilot.
The incident occurred near the town of Karystos on the island of Evia, not far from Athens, where the wildfires have been wreaking havoc for several days.
Greek TV showed the Canadair aircraft flying low to drop water on a blaze before turning sharply into a hillside and crashing, bursting into flames.
Greek state broadcaster Ert said the plane crashed over Karystos Town.
A 3-day mourning period has been dedicated in the Greek armed forces to honor the two fallen pilots.
The wildfires have caused extensive damage, destroying homes and forcing thousands of tourists to evacuate, especially on the Island of Rhodes.
With temperatures soaring due to extreme heatwaves, firefighting efforts have been intensified, aided by hundreds of firefighters and support from countries like Turkiye and Slovakia.
Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis has warned about the impact of climate change, saying “we are at war, the climate crisis is already here”.
And it’s not just Greece that is currently burning.
In fact, large areas of the Mediterranean sweltered under intense summer heatwaves.
According to a study by the world weather attribution, without human-induced climate change, the events happening this month would have been extremely rare.
Alegria is currently battling to control a fire that has so far claimed at least 34 lives.
Italy also suffered not only fires but also severe storms.
At least seven people were killed in Italy after storms in the north and wildfires in Sicily.
Wildfires also broke out in France, Tunisia, Portugal, Croatia, and Syria.