A newlywed British couple, believed to be in their early 30s and residing in London, died alongside their pilot in a helicopter crash on the Greek island of Sifnos. The aircraft crashed near a heliport around 6 p.m. local time on Monday, erupting into a fireball upon impact.
The victims were identified as Alexander Cromie and Marie Ebert. The pilot, Giorgos Raikos, was a retired Greek Air Force officer with extensive flying experience, including piloting military Chinook helicopters. He was married with three children.
Local reports indicate the couple had hired a private air taxi service for their honeymoon trip. CCTV footage captured by nearby cameras showed the helicopter spinning uncontrollably as it rapidly lost altitude before hitting the ground. The aircraft was reportedly a Canadian Bell 206 and had taken off from a helipad in the Tholos area shortly before the incident.
Manolis Fountoulakis, deputy mayor of Sifnos, described the scene as a "shapeless mass" where the charred bodies of the passengers were found. Residents reported hearing a loud, strange noise from the aircraft before the crash, with one witness stating the helicopter began to spin at high speed. No homes were damaged, and no other casualties were reported.
Emergency services were alerted around 6:17 p.m. Firefighters and a rescue team responded to the incident. The National Organisation for the Investigation of Air and Railway Accidents and Transport Safety has commenced an investigation into the cause of the crash.
The Foreign Office confirmed it is in contact with local authorities and is ready to provide consular support. Sifnos is a popular island in the Cyclades group, known for its beaches and monasteries.