Two people were killed Monday night after their car collided head-on with a fire truck traveling to a major wildfire in southern Greece, authorities reported.
The fatal crash occurred on the Sparta-Tripoli national highway in the Peloponnese when the passenger vehicle, carrying an elderly driver and a female passenger, reportedly veered into the opposite lane and struck the fire engine, which was en route to reinforce firefighting operations at the wildfire burning near the settlement of Agia Eleni in the Troizinia area.
Rescue crews recovered both occupants of the car dead at the scene.
According to public broadcaster ERT, heavy rainfall had made the roadway slippery at the time of the collision, although the exact circumstances of the crash remain under investigation.
A firefighter aboard the emergency vehicle sustained minor injuries and was taken to a local hospital for treatment.
Police have launched an investigation into the cause of the fatal accident.
The collision occurred as firefighting resources from across Greece were being mobilized to battle the rapidly spreading wildfire in Agia Eleni, on the eastern Peloponnese peninsula.
The blaze prompted emergency 112 alerts and the precautionary evacuation of residents as strong winds complicated suppression efforts. The latest emergency came after a series of destructive wildfires over recent days in the greater Thessaloniki area, western Attica prefecture and other parts of the country, keeping civil protection authorities on heightened alert as high temperatures, dry vegetation and strong winds continue to create extreme wildfire conditions across much of Greece.
