This is the British newlywed couple who were killed after a helicopter crash during their honeymoon on a Greek island.
Alexander Cromie and Marie Ebert, believed to have been in their early 30s, were travelling in a private air taxi before it reportedly suffered a mechanical failure and smashed into the ground near a heliport in Sifnos last night.
The tragic incident in the Tholos area also killed Greek pilot Giorgos Raikos, 55, understood to be married with three children.
After taking off from the village of Markopoulo, the pilot informed the competent service that he was preparing to land, but his message was followed by a mysterious radio silence, reported Athens daily newspaper Ta Nea.
CCTV footage shows the Bell 206 aircraft rotate erratically in the air as it quickly lost altitude, before descending to the ground. Further footage shows the helicopter immediately engulfed in a fireball, with smoke seen billowing into the sky from the blackened wreckage.
Mr Cromie was vice president of private wealth solutions at Blackstone’s London office. In a tribute sent to the Daily Mail, the company 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.’
Alexander Cromie and Marie Ebert, believed to have been in their early 30s, were taking a ride in a private air taxi before it reportedly suffered a mechanical failure and smashed into the ground near a heliport in Sifnos last night
Marie Ebert was on her honeymoon with husband Alexander Cromie when the tragedy happened
CCTV footage shows the Bell 206 aircraft rotate erratically in the air as it quickly lost altitude, before descending to the ground
Residents near the helipad reported hearing an unusual noise from the helicopter before the crash.
The National Organisation for the Investigation of Air and Railway Accidents and Transport Safety has begun investigating the crash, according to the Greek Ministry of Transport.
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.
Tragically, the helicopter crashed to the ground as it approached a helipad at around 6pm local time.
Parts of the aircraft can be seen flying in the air following its impact.
The Greek fire service said the crash triggered an alarm heard across the Aegean island in the Cyclades, which is a popular tourist destination in summer.
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.
It was initially reported by local media 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.
Two firefighters and one fire engine raced to the site to tackle the raging flames, according to local newspapers.
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.
Mr Cromie was vice president of private wealth solutions at Blackstone’s London office
Pictured: Alexander Cromie
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
In a tribute sent to the Daily Mail, Blackstone said ‘Alex was beloved by everyone who knew and worked with him’
Footage shows how a helicopter carrying a British couple on their honeymoon spun out of control seconds before crashing on a Greek island, killing the newlyweds
Further footage shows the helicopter immediately engulfed in a fireball, with smoke seen billowing into the sky from the blackened wreckage
The aircraft smashed into the ground near a heliport around 6pm on Monday
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.
No homes were hit and no other casualties were sustained, it is understood.
Sifnos is a 73-sq km Greek island in the Cyclades island group, known for its sandy beaches and the striking white Chrysopigi Monastery. It has a population of fewer than 1,000.
It 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.
The crash on the Greek island of Sifnos happened at around 6.15pm local time on Monday
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.
