British couple on honeymoon killed in helicopter crash on Greek island
The newlyweds, named as Alexander Cromie and Marie Ebert, were killed alongside their Greek pilot.
A newlywed British couple and their pilot died in a helicopter crash on the Greek island of Sifnos on Monday, according to Greek police.
The victims were identified as Alexander Cromie and Marie Ebert, who were reportedly on their honeymoon, as reported by the newspaper Kathimerini. The private helicopter went down mere meters from a landing pad, claiming the lives of the couple and their Greek pilot.
Kathimerini stated that the couple had boarded the helicopter in Markopoulo, a village near Athens, en route to the popular holiday destination. An investigation has been launched to ascertain the cause of the fatal crash.
Images from the scene showed emergency services and local residents working to put out the flames at the crash site. The BBC has reached out to the UK Foreign Office, Greek authorities, and the aviation company for their comments.
A senior police official informed The Times that the crash occurred just before the helicopter's scheduled landing time of 18:15 local time (16:15 GMT).
Manolis Foundoulakis, Deputy Mayor of Sifnos, arrived at the scene shortly after the incident. He told local news site Newsit that there was almost "nothing left" of the aircraft. He recounted that locals witnessed the helicopter crash within meters of their homes and described hearing a "bizarre engine noise coming from the aircraft" as it approached for landing. Foundoulakis added that two of the victims were discovered in the wreckage, while the third was found a short distance away.
Firefighters battled a blaze that erupted after the crash, and the flames were successfully extinguished by Monday evening.