Austrian Army Aircraft Help Fight Greek Fires
Firefighting aircraft of the Austrian Armed Forces are helping Greece tackle devastating forest fires. On 27th August 2007 Austria sent two AB-212 helicopters, three PC-6 "Turbo Porter" aircraft and specialist firefighters. The teams were accompanied by a C-130 "Hercules" transporter plane.
Pilots Gain Ground on Flames
In their area of operation, on the island of Evia, the Austrians have managed to beat back the fires ravaging the south, delivering more than 100.000 litres of water in two days. They now go on to join the teams battling the flames in the north.
Greece Havocked by Inferno
The fires have claimed more than 60 lives and destroyed thousands of homes, 16,000 people were forced to flee. According to the European Union, 60,000 sheep and cattle have fallen prey to the flames as well. Large areas of Greece - from Evia north of Athens to the Peloponnese in the south - were havocked by the inferno.
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Images related to this article
An Austrian AB-212 helicopter refills its water container in the sea.
Two of the PC-6 water-bombing planes in action.