The British couple who lost their lives in the helicopter crash on Sifnos had traveled to Greece for their honeymoon. They were Alexander Cromi and Marie Embert, aged 31 and 30, who lived in London.
The couple had recently gotten married and had rented a private helicopter taxi to fly from Markopoulo to Sifnos, where they were to begin their honeymoon.
ΣΧΕΤΙΚΑ ΑΡΘΡΑ
GSI: Navtex issuance for seabed surveys is “a matter of days”
The helicopter crashed on Monday afternoon, shortly before its scheduled landing at the island’s heliport. Along with the couple, 53-year-old Greek pilot George Raikos was also killed; according to reports, he was married and the father of three children.
Kromi worked at the London office of Blackstone, a major alternative investment firm, where he served as vice president in the private wealth solutions division.
In a statement to the Daily Mail, the company expressed its sorrow over the deaths of Cromie and his wife. “We are devastated by the tragic deaths of three people, including our colleague Alex Cromie and his wife Marie Ebert, who were celebrating their honeymoon,” Blackstone said.
The company added that Cromie was particularly beloved by those who knew him and worked with him.
“Alex was beloved by everyone who knew him and worked with him at Blackstone, and our thoughts and prayers are with his loved ones,” it noted.
The honeymoon trip that ended in tragedy
The couple had chosen Sifnos for their honeymoon and had chartered a private helicopter to take them to the island.
According to the report, the helicopter had taken off from Markopoulo and was approaching Sifnos when the crash occurred.
The pilot had informed the relevant authorities that he was preparing to land, but there was a sudden silence on the radio.
Security cameras recorded the Bell 206 spinning erratically in the air, rapidly losing altitude before crashing to the ground.
Other footage shows the helicopter immediately engulfed in flames, with thick smoke rising from the wreckage.
Residents near the heliport reported hearing an unusual noise from the helicopter shortly before the crash.
The accident occurred around 6:00 p.m. local time, a few minutes before the scheduled landing time.
A high-ranking police official in Athens reported that the helicopter was expected to land at 6:15 p.m. and was scheduled to take off again about 25 minutes later.
Emergency services rushed to the scene, but they were unable to save the two passengers and the pilot.
Local media initially reported that the helicopter had crashed seconds after takeoff, a report that was later corrected.
Manolis Fountoulakis, deputy mayor of Sifnos, described the scene rescuers encountered after the crash.
“Nothing was left—just a shapeless mass, inside which the two charred bodies must have been,” he said.
He also relayed what local residents had reported: according to them, the helicopter experienced a mechanical problem while in the air, and a loud, strange noise was heard, “like a military aircraft.”
He added that two bodies were found in the wreckage, while the third was located a few meters away.
The Experienced Pilot and the Investigation into the Causes
George Raikos, who was also killed in the accident, was a retired Air Force officer and, according to local sources, had extensive flying experience.
He had previously flown military Chinook helicopters, and it is reported that he had been hired by the company operating that particular helicopter just two months before the accident.
The National Agency for the Investigation of Aviation and Railway Accidents and Transport Safety has launched an investigation into the causes of the crash, according to the Greek Ministry of Transport.
The Fire Department was notified of the incident at approximately 6:17 p.m., and two firefighters arrived at the scene with a fire truck to extinguish the fire. A rescue team also rushed to Sifnos aboard a Fire Department speedboat.
The island’s mayor, Maria Nadali, described the incident as one that has shaken Sifnos. “It is a shocking incident. We are in shock and are working with the relevant authorities to manage the aftermath of this incident near the helipad,” she told local media.
SEE ALSO: The two possible scenarios for the helicopter crash on Sifnos | AlphaNews
Source: PROTO THEMA
