Two pilots die after crashing in a tanker plane operating in the fire on the Greek island of Euboea

The General Staff of the Aviation of Greece has confirmed the death of the two officers who piloted the tanker plane   that crashed this Tuesday during the tasks of putting out the forest fire on the island of Euboea.

The two soldiers, aged 27 and 34, were the pilot and co-pilot of a Canadair-type tanker plane that crashed near the town of Platanistós, shortly after dropping water on the flames.. The Greek Armed Forces declared three days of mourning for the deaths of the two officers.

In a video published by public television ERT, you can see how the plane crashes after throwing water on the fire front, and how seconds later a large explosion occurs.

As can be seen in the recording, after making a very low flight over the fire, the right wing collided with a tree and lost the right float, the part of the planes that prevents the wings from touching the surface of the sea when they are supplied with water.

In another film, broadcast by private Open television, debris from the plane can be seen at the site of the accident from which thick smoke is coming out. Several fire teams and a helicopter have come to the area.

Critical situation on the island

Firefighters have been fighting for three days to control the huge fire on Euboea, the sixth largest island in the Mediterranean, located northeast of Athens.

The Greek Prime Minister, the conservative Kyriakos Mitsotakis, decided to postpone an official visit to Cyprus, scheduled for this Wednesday due to what he described as a “tragic incident”.

Greece has been battling dozens of wildfires since last week, with the largest out of control on the islands of Rhodes and Corfu, where tens of thousands of people have had to be evacuated.