British honeymoon couple in helicopter crash on Greek island

A British honeymooning couple and their Greek pilot perished in a helicopter crash on the island of Sifnos on Monday, according to Greek police. The victims have been identified as Alexander Cromie and Marie Ebert. The pair were reportedly on their honeymoon when the private helicopter they were traveling in crashed just a few meters from a landing pad, taking the lives of all three individuals aboard, including a Greek national pilot.

The couple had transported the helicopter from the village of Markopoulo near Athens to the popular tourist destination island, as reported by Kathimerini.

An ongoing investigation aims to ascertain the cause of the crash, with the BBC reaching out to the UK Foreign Office, Greek authorities, and the aviation company for further information. According to a senior police official, the crash occurred mere moments before the helicopter's scheduled landing time of 18:15 local time (16:15 GMT).

The Deputy Mayor of Sifnos, Manolis Foundoulakis, arrived at the scene shortly after the incident and reported that almost nothing remained of the aircraft. Locals had witnessed the helicopter crash within meters of their homes and described hearing an unusual engine noise as it approached the landing pad. Two victims were found within the wreckage, while the third was located at a short distance away. Firefighters battled a resulting blaze, which was eventually extinguished by Monday evening.