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A firefighter leaves as the flames approaching him during a wildfire in Vati village, on the Aegean Sea island of Rhodes, southeastern Greece, on Tuesday, July 25, 2023
A FIREFIGHTING plane crashed in southern Greece today as authorities battled fires across the country amid a return of heatwave temperatures.
The crash occurred on the island of Evia. A state television broadcast showed the low-flying aircraft disappearing into a canyon before a fireball was seen moments later. There was no immediate information on the plane’s crew.
A third successive heatwave pushed temperatures back above 40°C across parts of Greece today, following more night-time evacuations from fires that have raged out of control for days.
When it comes to extreme weather events, from wildfires to flash floods, it’s firefighters who are on the front line of defence, but services have been cut to the bone, and government is not taking seriously its responsibility for the environment, says STEVE WRIGHT