The plane crashed shortly after being dropped on the flames which spread on this island near Athens. The scene was filmed from several angles by the Greek media.
It is a terrible drama which has just occurred on Tuesday July 25 on the front of the fires which have been raging in Greece for several days. A Canadair which intervened against the flames which spread on the island of Euboea, near Athens, crashed a few moments after having made a drop on the side of a hill.
A crash filmed by the Greek media
On the images broadcast by the Greek media, we see the plane sting on the ground, and a few moments later a sheaf of fire rising, which leaves little hope for the chances of survival of the crew.
The scene was filmed from another angle, where we see the plane, which intervened at very low altitude, tipping towards the ground during its maneuver.
According to the public television channel ERT, quoted by TF1, it would be a Greek machine.
The two Canadairs on loan from France have returned to Nîmes
France had sent two Canadairs and 18 Civil Security personnel to Greece on July 18, but these aircraft are now back at their base in Nîmes-Garons. “Our Canadairs returned from their mission last Wednesday and are well sheltered” specifies to Free lunch Julie Moulas, communications manager at the Nîmes Garons civil security base.
Accidents involving water bombers are fortunately extremely rare. On October 2, 2022, an Italian firefighters Canadair crashed near Catania, while responding to a fire near Etna. Both pilots were killed in the crash.
The memory of the Tracker crash in 2019 at Générac
In France, everyone remembers the crash of the Tracker T 22 piloted by Franck Chesneau which crashed on a fire in Générac, in the Gard, on August 2, 2019 while intervening on a major forest fire.
More information to follow…
