Foreign
Major road closed as fire burns west of Athens
1 A key motorway between Athens and the western Greek port city of Patras was closed as a fire blazed nearby on Friday.
2 Dense clouds of brown-grey smoke drifted across the road near the village of Nea Peramos, about 30 kilometres west of the capital, state television showed.
3 The fire brigade called on residents of the region and drivers on the motorway by text message to avoid the dangerous spot.
4 Traffic was diverted to secondary roads, state television reported.
5 Three helicopters and two firefighting planes dropped water on the blaze, according to the fire brigade.
6 However, one firefighting aircraft had to ditch due to engine failure.
7 The pilots were taken to safety, according to state television.
8 Due to drought and strong winds, the risk of fire was very high, especially in southern Greece.
9 This would remain the case for the next few days, the Meteorological Office and others warned on Friday.
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