Firefighting helicopter crashes off Greek island of Samos, 2 dead

Two members of a helicopter crew battling a forest fire on the Greek island of Samos died when it crashed into the sea on Wednesday, reported Al Arabiya citing local authorities.

Two members of a helicopter crew battling a forest fire on the Greek island of Samos died when it crashed into the sea on Wednesday, reported Al Arabiya citing local authorities. The helicopter was a Soviet-era Mi-8 that was leased for firefighting operations from Ukraine, took off from Samos at 4:39 p.m. and crashed off the island at 5:55 p.m.

As per the investigating authorities, a Romanian national and a Greek officer died while two Moldovan nationals survived the tragic crash. Nine vessels, five from the Coast Guard, two from the army and two private, as well as a helicopter, took part in the rescue operation, the authorities said.

All the island's 27 firefighters along with four planes and a helicopter were fighting the blaze in a forested area on Samos, which lies close to the Turkish coast, Al Arabiya reported. The flames were being fanned by high winds, the Fire Service further said in a statement.

Samos is a legendary island located 1.6km off the coast of Turkey in the Aegean Sea. It is also the Deteriorating weather conditions due to excessive increase in global warming, lack of humidity, and dry winds have become a major reason for increasing incidents of forest fires around the globe.

All these factors increase the risk of wildfire. (ANI)

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