Two firefighting helicopters crashed into each other mid-air while battling a wildfire west of Athens on Sunday, leaving four crew members unaccounted for as search and rescue teams scrambled to the scene.

Video footage captured the moment one helicopter clipped the rotor of the second aircraft over Psatha, Greece. The struck helicopter burst into flames and plummeted to the ground, according to the New York Post, which cited footage obtained by Greek outlet Kefalonia Press.

Each helicopter carried two crew members. Greece's fire service confirmed four people were aboard the two aircraft at the time of the collision but has not released any information on their condition. A search and rescue operation was underway as the story developed.

The cause of the crash remains under investigation. Both helicopters had been leased by the local fire department to combat the Psatha blaze, BBC News reported.

Weeks of scorching heat have turned Greece into a tinderbox

The mid-air collision came as Greece fought fires on multiple fronts. Weeks of extreme heat across the country and the broader European continent have fueled wildfire outbreaks that have stretched firefighting resources thin.

On the island of Crete, fires burned thousands of acres and forced the temporary evacuation of more than 8,000 people. Blazes also broke out on the Greek islands of Paros, Andros, and Kalymnos.

On Friday, a separate fire in central Greece drove roughly 500 people, described as mostly tourists, from the area.

Four crew members still unaccounted for amid an active rescue

Greek authorities have disclosed almost nothing about the fate of the four people aboard the two helicopters. No names have been released. No injuries or fatalities have been confirmed. The fire service's only public statement so far is that the search and rescue effort is ongoing.

Key details remain unclear. It has not been disclosed whether both aircraft belonged to the same operator or to different contractors. The current status of the Psatha wildfire itself, whether it has been contained, grown, or been left unattended following the crash, has not been addressed publicly.

When firefighters are risking their lives to protect communities, the least the public deserves is a full and transparent accounting of what went wrong, and fast.