Greece Wildfires: Firefighting Plane Crashes, Two Pilots Lost their Lives

As per reported by Al Jazeera, after a plane crashed while battling forest fires on the island of Evia, Greece on Tuesday, two Greek air force pilots lost their lives.

According to a statement from the country's air force, their water-bombing aircraft, a Canadair CL-215, crashed at 2:52 pm (local time) while participating in a firefighting operation in Platanistos on Tuesday.

Following the incident, a search operation was initiated in the area, and it was confirmed that both the plane's captain, aged 34, and co-pilot, 27, had lost their lives, as reported by Al Jazeera.

In response to the tragic event, the defense ministry declared a three-day mourning period in the Armed Forces to honor the loss of life of the Air Force officers and pilots who were operating the firefighting aircraft CL-215 in Evia.

The accident took place while Greece was facing wildfires on three major fronts, which included popular tourist islands like Rhodes and Corfu. These blazes occurred amidst a heatwave that was affecting much of the Mediterranean region. During this time, Algeria also experienced wildfires that resulted in the loss of dozens of lives.

Al Jazeera reported that scientists from the World Weather Attribution group stated that the ongoing heat waves would have been nearly impossible without human-caused climate change.

Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis declared on Tuesday that the Mediterranean nation is currently facing a "war" against the wildfires spreading throughout the country.

Addressing the parliament, the prime minister emphasized the need for constant vigilance in the coming weeks, stating, "We are at war." He also expressed the commitment to rebuild what was lost and provide compensation to those who were affected. Additionally, he warned about the reality of the climate crisis, asserting that it is already present and will lead to more significant disasters across the Mediterranean region.

According to Al Jazeera, he also issued a warning that the country would endure "another three difficult days ahead" before high temperatures are expected to subside.

Meanwhile, in Algeria, more than 30 people, including 10 soldiers, lost their lives while fighting the forest fires.

The tragic incidents occurred on Monday, as temperatures reached as high as 48 degrees Celsius in certain regions of the North African country.

The Algerian interior ministry reported 97 wildfires across 16 provinces, driven by strong winds and extreme heat, as mentioned by Al Jazeera.

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