Rescue operation underway for passengers in Evia helicopter crash

A search and rescue operation was underway off the coast of northern Evia on Thursday to find the passengers of a helicopter that crashed into the sea earlier this morning. 

Coast guard and private vessels, an Army Aviation helicopter and scuba divers were involved in the operation taking place in an area that is currently in the grip of storm Elias.

The Agusta A109 civilian-type helicopter was a private flight with possibly two people on board, according to sources. It disappeared from the Civil Aviation Authority’s radar while flying over the island at Achladi Beach, near the seaside village of Agia Anna.

The helicopter was on a flight from Afidnes to Volos’ industrial region, but had to divert its course and land temporarily in Mantoudi due to bad weather, before setting off for Volos again. A search operation was underway in the area by the coast guard and private vessels in the area, assisted by an Army Aviation helicopter and scuba divers.

“I went out and saw it, it was flying very low, as if it was touching the sea. We thought he was looking for something, we assumed this because of the flood, and after a while we heard a bang and it disappeared,” an eyewitness told Kathimerini.

“Unfortunately, access has been cut off and we are now moving over lowland areas, together with the rescue crews, to get near the spot where the helicopter is considered to have fallen,” Central Greece governor Fanis Spanos told state-run news agency AMNA.

[Kathimerini, AMNA]