Firefighting plane crashes on Greece’s Zakynthos, pilot survives

A firefighting helicopter makes a water drop as a wildfire continues to rage at Varympompi suburb north of Athens, Greece, Aug. 4, 2021. REUTERS FILE PHOTO

ATHENS — A firefighting plane crashed during an emergency landing on the Greek island of Zakynthos on Sunday while it was on its way to a small-scale blaze there, a police official said.

The cause of the crash was not immediately known and the pilot escaped without serious injury, the official said.

Greece is battling wildfires for the sixth day, with the biggest front on its island of Evia near the capital, where thousands of people have had to be evacuated by ferry.

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