Two newlyweds from London died after a helicopter carrying them to their honeymoon in Greece crashed moments before landing. Police identified the victims as Alexander Cromie and Marie Ebert, who were travelling from Athens to the island of Sifnos.
The helicopter, piloted by Giorgos Raikos, a former Greek Air Force pilot, crashed near the heliport in Sifnos. Mr Raikos also died in the crash. Nearby CCTV footage captured the moment the helicopter began making a loud noise before spinning out of control and smashing into a nearby hill.
Mechanical failure suspected
Deputy mayor of Sifnos, Manolis Fountoulakis, told local news: 'There was nothing left, a shapeless mass, inside which the two charred bodies must have been. It experienced mechanical failure in the air; residents say it made a loud, strange noise, like military aircraft.'
The Foreign Office said it is providing support to those affected and is in contact with local authorities. A large fire broke out shortly after the helicopter crashed, but no casualties were reported on the ground. The fire sparked an island-wide alarm across Sifnos.
Community in shock
Sifnos mayor Maria Nadali said: 'This is a shocking event. We are shocked and are trying to manage, together with the right services, the consequences of this incident next to the helipad.'
Earlier this month, two people were killed after a helicopter was captured on camera exploding into flames after it hit another above raging Greek wildfires. The two helicopters were involved in efforts to tackle fires spreading in the Psatha region, on the Gulf of Corinth west of Athens.
Footage shows the moment one of the helicopters clips the rotary blade of another below, sending it into a death spiral. A British pilot and a Greek crew member survived that crash and were taken to hospital. The two people killed were a Danish pilot and a Greek fire service liaison officer. Local news site in.gr said an injured crew member from one of the vehicles had been in communication with officials.
