Athens, Aug 4:
Water-dropping planes swooped over a major wildfire west of Athens Monday, a day after a midair collision between two firefighting helicopters killed two crew members. A Greek and a Danish national died and two others all privately charted operators were hospitalised in the collision while the firefighting effort along mountainous and coastal areas at the weekend was hindered by powerful gales.
As parts of southern Europe continued to struggle with high temperatures, firefighters in France guarded against potential flare ups inside a still-burning scar four times the size of Paris. Strong winds eased Monday, allowing the deployment of 12 water-dropping planes and 11 helicopters around the fire-hit seaside resort of Porto Germenos where multiple evacuations have been ordered.