A firefighting plane combating wildfires in Greece crashed on Tuesday, leaving Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis deeply concerned about the challenging days ahead. The raging blazes have caused immense destruction, engulfing homes, and necessitating the evacuation of thousands of tourists from Rhodes, the beautiful island.
State broadcaster ERT aired distressing footage of the ill-fated plane, desperately dropping water over a fire before colliding with a hillside and erupting into flames.
According to reports from the Greek air force, the amphibious Canadair CL-215 plane had two airmen on board when it crashed over Evia, located east of Athens. Two helicopters promptly rushed to the scene for a search and rescue operation, but no further information has been released about the airmen’s fate.
Meanwhile, on the island of Rhodes, hundreds of firefighters, aided by support from Turkey and Slovakia, valiantly battled the persistent blazes that have been raging since Wednesday. The fires experienced a resurgence due to scorching heat and windy conditions. As a result, additional emergency flights were scheduled to safely evacuate holidaymakers from the affected areas.
On Tuesday, Prime Minister Mitsotakis acknowledged the forthcoming days would be difficult, holding a glimmer of hope for potential improvements after Thursday.
A scientific assessment published on Tuesday emphasized the significant role of human-induced climate change in fueling the extreme heatwaves that have swept across North America, southern Europe, and China this month. The scientists described the impact of climate change on these weather events as “absolutely overwhelming,” signaling the urgent need for global climate action.
