Firefighting aircraft crashes in Greece during waterbombing operation

A Canadair CL-215 aircraft operated by the Hellenic Air Force crashed while battling a wildfire as part of firefighting operations in Karystos, Evia.

Report informs via Aerotime that the incident occurred shortly before 3 PM local time on July 25, 2023, near the village of Platanistos. Footage from the incident shows the aircraft clipping a tree with its right outboard float while conducting a drop, before stalling and crashing into a mountainside. The status of the crew is unknown at this point.

Hit by one of the longest heat waves in recent decades, Greece is dealing with major forest fires, particularly on the islands of Rhodes and Evia. Hundreds of firefighters were deployed from France, Italy, Romania, Slovakia, and Poland as part of European mutual aid.