Greek firefighters battle for third consecutive day to contain wildfire

Hundreds of firefighters and volunteers in southern Greece battled a wildfire for a third day that has killed two people and devastated a large forested area, prompting pledges of assistance from other European Union countries.

Two water bombing aircraft from Italy joined the firefighting effort late Tuesday after Greece requested help through the 27-country bloc's emergency civil protection mechanism. A third plane from Croatia was also expected. The Greek fire service said more than 400 firefighters, assisted by 22 aircraft, were engaged against the blaze in the rugged mountains of Corinthia in the Peloponnese region.