Horrifying moment firefighting plane clips a tree before crashing and exploding in a canyon killing both men on board in Greece: Crew named as father-to-be captain, 34, and his co-pilot, 27

A Greek air force water-dropping plane crashed while diving into a wildfire in southern Greece on Tuesday, killing both pilots, as authorities battled blazes amid a return of heatwave temperatures.

The crash occurred on the island of Evia, and was aired in a state television broadcast that showed the low-flying CL-215 aircraft disappearing into a canyon before a fireball was seen moments later.

The air force said the pilots, which it named as Captain Christos Moulas, 34, and his co-pilot, Second Lieutenant Periklis Stefanidis, 27, both died in the crash. The plane had no ejection system.

Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis cancelled a planned visit to Cyprus for Wednesday, and three days of mourning were called for Greece’s armed forces.

‘They offered their lives to save lives,’ Mitsotakis said of the pilots. 

Second Lieutenant Periklis Stefanidis (left), 27, and Squadron Leader Christos Moulas, 34

Footage broadcast on Tuesday showed the plane battling wildfires on the Greek island of Evia  (pictured) before it disappeared behind a hilltop into a canyon

‘They proved how hazardous their daily missions in extinguishing fires are … In their memory, we continue the war against the destructive forces of nature.’

Moulas was a father-to-be, according to Greek newspaper Proto Thema. 

Shocking footage shows the moment the firefighting plane clipped a tree before it crashed and exploded.

The crash occurred at around 12.40 GMT (14.40pm local time). 

Seconds after the crash, a fireball went up. The air force later said that both pilots died in the crash

The aircraft smashed into a ravine on the heights of Karystos, where a fire started on Sunday, according to Greek officials.

The clip showed the plane battling fires before disappearing into a canyon. A fireball was seen moments later.

The plane was among at least three other aircraft and around a hundred firefighters in the fight against the flames on Evia.

State broadcaster ERT published the video of the aircraft as it crashed and disappeared behind a cloud of flames and black smoke.

The plane appeared to clip a tree moments after it dropped water on the wildfire, causing it to bank suddenly to its right dangerously close to the ground.

As the plane banked in the air for another fly-over, it rapidly lost altitude and was unable to make it over the hill, and instead nose-dived into the hillside.

Two helicopters went to the scene to carry out a search and rescue operation, the air force said.

It said the prospects were not good for the airmen as the plane had no ejection system. 

Greek police said a burned body believed to belong to a sheep farmer who had been missing since Sunday in southern Evia – a day before the fire broke out there – was found on Tuesday. 

It was unclear whether he had been killed by the fire or had died of other causes before it broke out. 

The accident occurred as Greece battled wildfires on three major fronts, including the tourist islands of Rhodes and Corfu, with many of the country’s regions listed at extreme risk of dangerous forest fires exacerbated by strong winds.

Thousands have been forced to flee homes, hotels and resorts on food to escape, with some of the island of Rhodes walking for 12 hours to safety in heat pushing 40 degrees. 

Hundreds of firefighters, helped by forces from Turkey and Slovakia, were battling blazes that have raged on the island since Wednesday and resurged in hot, windy conditions.

More emergency flights were due to take home holidaymakers today. 

Vassilis Kikilias, the minister for climate crisis and civil protection, said: ‘For the 12th day, under extreme conditions of heat and strong winds, we are fighting non-stop on dozens of forest fire fronts… The Greek Fire Service has battled more than 500 fires – more than 50 a day.’ 

The European Union has sent 500 firefighters, 100 vehicles and seven planes from 10 member states, while Turkey, Israel, Egypt and other countries have also sent help. 

Mitsotakis said on Tuesday the next days would be difficult, with conditions possibly improving after Thursday.

‘All of us are standing guard,’ he said. ‘In the face of what the entire planet is facing, especially the Mediterranean which is a climate change hot-spot, there is no magical defence mechanism, if there was we would have implemented it.’

An assessment by scientists on Tuesday said human-induced climate change has played an ‘absolutely overwhelming’ role in the extreme heatwaves that have swept across North America, southern Europe and China this month.

The plane appeared to clip a tree moments after it dropped water on the wildfire, causing it to bank suddenly to its right dangerously close to the ground

As the plane banked in the air ready for another fly over, it rapidly lost altitude and was unable to make it over the hill, and instead nose-dived into the hillside

Seconds after it disappeared from view of the camera, an explosion was seen erupting from behind the hill, with thick black smoke rising in to the sky

Two helicopters had rushed to the scene to carry out a search and rescue operation, the air force said. It gave no details on the fate of the airmen. Pictured: Thick black smoke is seen rising from where the plane crashed earlier today

In Greece, a prosecutor on Rhodes launched an investigation into the causes of the fires and the preparedness and response of authorities, state broadcaster ERT said. It said about 10 per cent of the island’s land area had burned.

Much of southern Europe is enduring one of the longest, driest and hottest summers on record which scientists say has been caused by man-made climate change. 

Encroaching fires closed Sicily’s Palermo airport today as the Italian island recorded a temperature of 47C.

Blazes have also been reported in Croatia, France, mainland Italy, Spain, Turkey and Russia.

Lefteris Laoudikos, whose family owns a small hotel in the seaside resort town of Kiotari, Greece, one of the epicentres of the fire over the weekend, said its 200 guests – mainly from Germany, Britain and Poland – evacuated in rental cars.

He said his father, cousin and two others were trying to douse the flames using a nearby water tank.

‘On Saturday when I saw the wind and that there were no planes, I told everyone we’re going to burn today,’ he said.

‘My father saved the hotel. I called him, and he didn’t want to leave. He told me “if I leave there will be no hotel”.’

John Hatzis, who owns three unaffected hotels in northern Rhodes, said the island needed to welcome back tourists.

‘After the superhuman efforts to contain the fire we need superhuman efforts to restart tourism now,’ he said.

Rhodes, one of Greece’s biggest islands, is among its top summer destinations, attracting about 1.5 million foreign tourists in the summer months.

About 20,000 people had to leave homes and hotels in Rhodes over the weekend as the inferno spread and reached coastal resorts on the verdant island’s southeast, after charring land, killing animals and damaging buildings.

After a blaze in the seaside town of Mati, east of Athens, in 2018 killed 104 people, Greece has taken a more proactive approach towards evacuations. But critics say it has not improved its ability to put out fires that are common in summer, though more intense in this year’s heatwave.

Rhodes’ mayor said on Facebook the island was facing an unprecedented ordeal.

An aircraft drops water over a wildfire in Vati village, on the Aegean Sea island of Rhodes, southeastern Greece, on Tuesday, July 25

A Canadair aircraft drops water over a wildfire in Vati village, on the Aegean Sea island of Rhodes, southeastern Greece, on Tuesday, July 25

A military helicopter operates as flames burn a forest on the mountains near Vati village, on the Aegean Sea island of Rhodes, southeastern Greece, on Tuesday, July 25

Locals watch the wildfires near the village of Vati, just north of the coastal town Gennadi, in the southern part of the Greek island of Rhodes on July 2

There were also fires on the island of Corfu.

Greece has seen very high temperatures in recent weeks and they are set to rise through Wednesday to exceed 44C in some areas.

More than 2,000 holidaymakers had returned home by plane on Monday and tour operators cancelled upcoming trips. TUI dropped flights to Rhodes through Friday. It said it had 39,000 customers on Rhodes as of Sunday evening.

Tourism accounts for 18 per cent of Greece’s economic output and one in five jobs. On Rhodes and many other Greek islands, reliance on tourism is even greater.