A search and rescue operation was under way in Greece after two firefighting helicopters collided west of Athens, as strong winds spread wildfires across multiple fronts.
The collision struck as gale-force winds hampered firefighting aircraft and drove flames through a seaside resort, forcing fresh evacuations. Civil Protection officials ordered the partial evacuation of part of a suburb west of Athens after new blazes broke out.
Officials said the fires have destroyed swaths of forest and agricultural land, with winds worsening conditions and complicating efforts to bring the blazes under control. While the wildfire crisis eased in western Europe, it worsened in Greece, where fires have spread quickly throughout Athens.
The fires come during a sweltering European summer that has brought record heat-related deaths in Austria, Britain, France and Germany, and tinderbox conditions fueling historic wildfires in Spain and France.