This is the British newlywed couple who were killed in a helicopter crash during their Greek honeymoon on Monday.

Alexander Cromie, 31, and Marie Ebert, 30, were travelling in a private air taxi from the village of ​Markopoulo, near Athens, to Sifnos when it reportedly suffered a mechanical failure and smashed into the ground near a heliport on the island at around 6pm.

Greek pilot Giorgos Raikos, 55, was also killed when the helicopter crashed in the Tholos area of Sifnos.

Mr Cromie was the vice president of private wealth solutions at asset manager Blackstone's London office, while Ms Ebert worked for consultancy firm Bain & Company. 

CCTV footage shows the Bell 206 helicopter rotating erratically in the air as it quickly lost altitude, with smoke billowing into the sky from the blackened wreckage after the crash. 

In a tribute sent to the Daily Mail, Blackstone said: 'We are shocked by the tragic passing of three people including our colleague Alex Cromie and his wife Marie Ebert, who were celebrating their honeymoon. 

'Alex was beloved by everyone who knew and worked with him at Blackstone, and our thoughts and prayers are with his loved ones.'

Bain & Company told the Daily Mail: 'Marie Ebert was a much-loved and deeply respected member of our London team. 

'She was exceptional at her job, admired by everyone who worked with her, and had an extraordinary future ahead of her. We are devastated.

'Our thoughts are with Marie's family, with her husband Alex's family, and with the friends and colleagues who are grieving them both. 

'We also extend our sympathies to the family of the pilot who lost his life as well.

'Marie will be greatly missed by all of us at Bain, and we are doing everything we can to support her family and colleagues at this time.'

She had worked there for over a year, specialising in market reputation, having previously worked at investment firm Coller Capital.  

Greek aviation authorities have launched an investigation into the crash. 

Residents near the helipad reported hearing an unusual noise from the helicopter before it came down.

The pilot, a retired Greek Air Force officer, is understood to have had extensive flying experience and had piloted military Chinook helicopters, according to local reports.

The couple, who lived in London, had hired the private air taxi to transport them from Markopoulo, near Athens, to the popular holiday island of Sifnos to start their honeymoon. 

The helicopter crashed to the ground as it approached a helipad at around 6pm local time. 

Parts of the aircraft were seen flying in the air upon impact. 

The Greek fire service said the crash triggered an alarm heard across the island, which is located in the Cyclades and is a popular summer destination. 

A senior police official in Athens said: 'The crash came minutes before the scheduled 6.15pm landing. The helicopter was scheduled to leave 25 minutes later.'

Emergency services rushed to the scene, but they were unable to save the passengers and pilot. 

Local media initially reported that the helicopter had crashed seconds after taking off but this was later corrected. 

Manolis Fountoulakis, deputy mayor of Sifnos, told Greek news site NewsIT: 'There was nothing left, a shapeless mass, inside which the two charred bodies must have been.

'It experienced mechanical failure in the air, residents say it made a loud, strange noise, like military aircraft.'

He added that two bodies were discovered inside the crash site while another had been found a few yards away. 

Proto Thema reported emergency services were first alerted to the incident at around 6.17pm local time on Monday.

A rescue team also arrived on a high-speed boat operated by the Fire Brigade to attend the scene.

The Foreign Office said it was in contact with local authorities and was seeking further information. 

It added that it stood ready to provide consular support to those affected. 

The island's mayor, Maria Nadali, told local media: '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.'

Local reports suggest that the pilot had only been hired by the company two months ago.

Sifnos is known for its sandy beaches and the striking white Chrysopigi Monastery. It has a population of fewer than 1,000. 

The crash comes after a Greek fire service liaison officer and a Danish pilot were killed in a mid-air helicopter crash while fighting wildfires in Greece earlier this month.

Emergency services rushed to the scene after the aircraft collided in the Psatha region of Attica, 42 miles west of Athens, on August 2.

One of the pilots of the downed helicopters, a British man, 'miraculously' survived the crash, as did another Greek co-ordinator.

Andrew Hutchinson, 48, was battling wildfires onboard the helicopter in Greece when it collided with the rotors of another aircraft.

Mr Hutchinson told his family that he and the fire co-ordinator with him managed to escape the aircraft before it exploded after crashing to the ground without power.