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‘Brit newlyweds’ among three killed in helicopter crash on Greek island

The small private helicopter, a private Bell 206, is said to have exploded and gone up in a huge fireball upon impact on Monday evening

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Smoke rises following a helicopter crash on the Greek island of Sifnos
Smoke rises following a helicopter crash on the Greek island of Sifnos. Picture: Reuters

By Georgia Rowe

Three people, including a British newlywed couple, have been killed after a helicopter crashed on the Greek island of Sifnos.

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The couple, believed to have been on their honeymoon, died alongside the Greek pilot after the helicopter came down in the Tholos area on Monday, shortly after taking off.

Witnesses said the aircraft appeared to spin at speed before plunging towards an arid hillside.

Dramatic images showed thick black smoke billowing from the crash site as firefighters battled the blaze.

The small private helicopter, a private Bell 206, is said to have exploded and gone up in a huge fireball upon impact on Monday evening.

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Smoke billows from the site of a helicopter crash on the island of Sifnos, Greece
Smoke billows from the site of a helicopter crash on the island of Sifnos, Greece. Picture: Reuters

A rescue team from Syros arrived shortly after with the Fire Department’s RAFNAR speedboat.

No homes were hit during the incident.

Manolis Fountoulakis, Sifnos’ deputy mayor, said residents had reported hearing a “loud, strange noise” before the crash, adding that the helicopter was believed to have suffered a mechanical failure in the air.

The cause has not been confirmed and an investigation is under way.