A 49-year-old man was arrested by police in Psatha, west of Athens, on Monday, after he drove through a police cordon set up in the spot where two firefighting helicopters collided in midair and crashed on the ground, killing two people onboard.
The suspect, identified as the brother of a local deputy mayor, quarrelled with police officers who did not allow him to enter the guarded perimeter of the accident to drive home. The area has been cordoned off while the Directorate for Combating Organized Crime (DAOE) investigates the circumstances surrounding the accident.
The 49-year-old ignored the officers and drove on, crashing into the wreckage of one helicopter. He was immediately arrested and taken to the local Police Station, while a team from the Criminal Investigations Directorate went to the scene to ensure the scene had not been affected.
A case was filed against the suspect for disobedience and violating police cordon and is expected to appear before a prosecutor during the day.
The dead crew members were a Danish pilot and a Greek fire service liaison officer. A British pilot and another Greek co-ordinator on the second helicopter survived.
