British couple die in helicopter crash on their Greek honeymoon

Two newlyweds from London died after a helicopter carrying them to their honeymoon in Greece crashed moments before landing.

Alexander Cromie and Marie Ebert died near the heliport in Sifnos after travelling from Athens.

Pilot Giorgos Raikos was ferrying the couple on his private helicopter when the crash occurred.

Mr Raikos, an experienced pilot who was in the Greek Air Force, also died.

Nearby CCTV footage captured the moment the helicopter span out of control and hit a nearby hill.

Deputy mayor of Sifnos, Manolis Fountoulakis, told local news there was little left of the aircraft after the crash.

He said: ‘It experienced mechanical failure in the air; residents say it made a loud, strange noise, like military aircraft.’

Pictured: Aerial view of the area where a Bell 206 helicopter crashed on the island of Sifnos. Monday 17 August 2026 Re: A newlywed couple, named locally as Alexander Cromie and Marie Ebert from the UK, and pilot Giorgos Raikos, are reported to have died when a privately owned Bell 206 helicopter crashed near the helipad of Sifnos island, Greece.

The Foreign Office said it is providing support to those affected and is in contact with local authorities.

A large fire broke out shortly after the helicopter crashed, but no casualties were reported on the ground.

The fire did spark an island-wide alarm across Sifnos.

Sifnos mayor Maria Nadali said: ‘This is a shocking event.

‘We are shocked and are trying to manage, together with the right services, the consequences of this incident next to the helipad.’

Earlier this month, two people were killed after a helicopter was captured on camera exploding into flames after it hit another above raging Greek wildfires.

Pictured: Aerial view of the area where a Bell 206 helicopter crashed on the island of Sifnos. Monday 17 August 2026 Re: A newlywed couple, named locally as Alexander Cromie and Marie Ebert from the UK, and pilot Giorgos Raikos, are reported to have died when a privately owned Bell 206 helicopter crashed near the helipad of Sifnos island, Greece.

The two helicopters were involved in efforts to tackle fires that were spreading in the Psatha region, on the Gulf of Corinth west of Athens.

Footage shows the moment one of the helicopters clips the rotary blade of another below, sending it into a death spiral.

A British pilot and a Greek crew member survived the crash, and were taken to hospital.

The two people killed were a Danish pilot and a Greek fire service liaison officer.

Local news site in.gr said an injured crew member from one of the vehicles had been in communication with officials.

Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@metro.co.uk.

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