Firefighting helicopter crashes off Greek island; 2 dead

By DEMETRIS NELLAS
Associated Press

ATHENS, Greece (AP) — Authorities in Greece say two members of a helicopter crew battling a forest fire on the Greek island of Samos died when it crashed into the sea. A Romanian national and a Greek liaison officer died in the crash, while two Moldovan nationals survived. The Soviet-era Mi-8 helicopter had been leased for firefighting operations from Ukraine. All the island’s 27 firefighters plus four planes and a helicopter were fighting the blaze in a forested area on Samos, which lies close to the Turkish coast.