The European Union is sending more emergency resources to help fight wildfires in Greece, EU Crisis Commissioner Janez Lenarčič said on Tuesday, August 22, 2023.
Five more aeroplanes and a helicopter are arriving from Germany, Croatia, Sweden and the Czech Republic, Lenarčič said on the social network X, formerly known as Twitter.
This is in addition to two planes from Cyprus and extra firefighters from Romania, he said.
The emergency aid for Greece is being coordinated via the EU Civil Protection Mechanism, a platform to coordinate and share emergency resources in the bloc.
Athens had previously requested and received assistance for major fires this year.
Two of the firefighting planes are coming from Germany, a spokesman for the Greek fire brigade said.
In Greece, huge forest and bush fires have been raging for days in different parts of the country.
The city of Alexandroupolis and the Dadia National Park in the north-east of the country are particularly affected.
Firefighters have had great difficulty in bringing the fires under control for days due to strong winds in many parts of the country.
