Three useless after horror fireball helicopter crash in vacation hotspot as main hearth rages
The small private helicopter crashed and sparked a fire in the Tholos part of Sifnos at around 6pm local (4pm UK time) on Monday evening, the fire department said
The aftermath of the fireball horror
At least three people have died in a helicopter crash in a tourist hotspot. The fireball horror happened just after take-off on the the popular Greek tourist island of Sifnos, a three hour ferry ride from Athens.
The small private helicopter crashed and sparked a fire in the Tholos part of Sifnos at around 6pm local (4pm UK time) on Monday evening, the fire department said.
A huge inferno broke out before two firefighters and one fire engine raced to the site to tackle the raging flames, local media reported. The bodies of the pilot and two passengers were recovered from the site.
The helicopter crashed in Sifnos, Greece (stock)(Image: UCG/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)
The identities of those on board and the cause of the crash were not immediately clear. Emergency services were first alerted to the incident at around 6:17pm, reports Proto Thema.
A rescue team from Syros then arrived later on with the Fire Department’s RAFNAR speedboat. It is currently unclear what caused the helicopter to crash.
Pictures published in local media showed what appeared to be the crash site on an tinder-dry hillside, where a ball of flame created large plumes of dark smoke. They could be seen billowing from a raging fire near shrubs and bushes.
Sifnos is a popular island with tourists(Image: Design Pics Editorial/Universal Images Group Via Getty Images)
The chopper, which is said to be a Bell 206 helicopter, had just taken off from the island’s helipad in the Tholos area, local media reports. No homes were hit, it is understood.
One witness told local outlet SKAI that the helicopter began to spin around at a high speed before it smashed into the ground.
Manolis Fountoulakis, deputy mayor of Sifnos, told Greek channel Alpha: “It experienced mechanical failure in the a, residents say it made a loud, strange noise, like military aircraft.”
Sifnos is a stunning island in the western part of the Cyclades island group(Image: Getty Images/Cavan Images RF)
The Greek fire service said the crash triggered an alarm heard across the island, which is a popular tourist destination over the summer season. Sifnos is a stunning island in the western part of the Cyclades island group in Greece, sitting right between Serifos and Milos.
It sits around 76 nautical miles (140 km) from Athens’ main port, Piraeus, and is widely celebrated as a culinary hotspot with a rich pottery history and scenic villages.
