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Live Reporting

Edited by Caitlin Doherty and Angus Thompson

  1. Firefighters working in 'very difficult conditions' - expert tells BBC

    Theodore Giannaros

    Meteorologist Theodore Giannaros tells the BBC News channel that the crews dealing with the fire in which the two helicopters crashed are "working under very, very difficult conditions".

    "Since last Wednesday, my country is experiencing very bad fire weather," he says, adding that the fire has already burned more than 100,000 hectares of land in Greece.

    "So conditions are very difficult, and both crews on the ground and through the air experience all this difficulty in containing this large event."

    He also says climate change "sets the stage for larger and more intense wildfires due to the increased heatwaves, more dry vegetation and drought", but in the end, fire "also comes to human activity, either negligence or arson".

  2. Where is Psatha, the area where the collision occurred?

    According to the fire service, the helicopters collided in the wider area of ​​Psatha, Attica, a coastal area west of Athens.

    Firefighters have been battling wildfires in the region, along with several other parts of the country.

    Map of western Attica in Greece showing Psatha, a coastal area about 50km west of Athens, where the two helicopters are reported to have collided.

  3. Countries battling wildfires across Europe amid heatwave conditions

    firefighter works to extinguish an advancing wildfire near Formariz in Zamora province, SpainReuters

    A firefighter works to extinguish a wildfire near Formariz, Spain, on Wednesday

    Greece is one of several European nations suffering devastating wildfires after a succession of heatwaves and little rain created favourable conditions for them.

    Since mid-July wildfires have torn through France, Spain, and Portugal, forcing hundreds of thousands of people to evacuate their homes.

    Officials in the Spanish capital Madrid have said the fires are the worst the region has ever experienced.

    More than 200,000 hectares of land has burnt across the country in 2026, roughly five times above the average by this point in the year, EU data shows.

    A wildfire that broke out in the Gironde region of France was last week described by French President Emmanuel Macron as "completely unprecedented".

    The UK has also been battling wildfires, with a blaze that devastated heathland in Suffolk declared stable on Saturday.

  5. Olive branches and hoses used to put out flames as wildfires threaten Greece

    Workers use olive branches to extinguish flames during in the Megara valley.Reuters

    Workers use olive branches to extinguish flames during in the Megara valley

    A man runs in the foreground while two others hold a hose in an area affected by fires.Reuters

    Volunteers try to extinguish a fire burning at a yard of a house in the settlement of Zachouli, in Attica

    Firefighters holding a hose pointed at a wildfire near the village Agia Paraskevi.Reuters

    Firefighters battle an inferno near the village Agia Paraskevi

  6. Greek PM warns of 'extremely difficult' days ahead

    Greece's Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis during a doorstep at the NATO leaders' summit in Ankara, TurkeyReuters

    Earlier on Sunday, Greece's Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said that the country is facing "extreme weather conditions" and warned of "extremely difficult" days ahead amid the ongoing wildfires.

    He says winds have reached 100 kilometres (60 miles) an hour, which means "the dozens of aircraft we have at our disposal cannot operate safely".

    "There are moments when nature and the intensity of weather phenomena surpass any human planning and any operational capability," he writes on Facebook.

    Mitsotakis has also paid tribute to three firefighters who died tackling the wildfires across the country earlier in the week and praised continued efforts of fire crews, volunteers and military personnel.

  7. Greece battles wildfires across multiple fronts

    Firefighters holding a large hose while battling a wildireReuters

    Thousands of people have been evacuated as wildfires rage in multiple areas of Greece, including parts of the mainland and tourist destinations.

    On the island of Crete, fires have burned thousands of hectares of land and prompted the temporary evacuation of 8,000 people.

    About 500 people, mostly tourists, were also evacuated in central Greece on Friday.

    Fires have also broken out on the islands of Paros, Andros and Kalymnos.

    Greece is one of several European countries suffering devastating wildfires after a succession of heatwaves created favourable conditions for them.

  8. What we know so far about helicopter collision in Greece

    The collision occurred during firefighting efforts in Greece - here's what we do and don't know.

    What we know

    • Two helicopters are involved, each with a crew of two people, according to the fire service
    • In a statement, it describes them as Bell helicopters leased by the fire department
    • The crash took place in the wider area of ​​Psatha, west of Athens
    • A search and rescue operation is described as "under way"

    What we don't know

    • What caused the helicopters to collide
    • The status of the crew - or their identities

  9. Search and rescue operation under way after two firefighting helicopters crash in Greece

    Two helicopters have crashed in Greece while fighting wildfires west of Athens, fire service has said.

    The incident is described as having taken place in the wider area of ​​Psatha, Attica.

    The helicopters were leased by the fire department and each had a crew of two people, having taken off from the Elefsina military airport, the statement says.

    A search and rescue operation is under way.