Two people confirmed to have been in missing helicopter
A helicopter that crashed into the sea off the coast of northern Evia on Thursday was carrying the pilot and an additional person, the state-run Athens Macedonian News Agency has reported, citing sources.
The privately chartered helicopter was flying over Achladi beach, near the seaside village of Agia Anna, during a storm when it disappeared from the Civil Aviation Authority’s radar, while video footage shot by eye-witnesses shows it going down into the water.
The Agusta A109 helicopter had set off from Afidnes, north of Athens, on Thursday morning for a flight to Volos in the eastern mainland, which has also been lashed by Storm Elias. The weather forced it to make a brief landing in Mantoudi in Evia, however, before it took off again, heading north to Volos. Its flight manifest listed only one person on board.
A search for the helicopter and passengers has been launched, though efforts are being hampered by strong winds.
“We were very near the specific location … 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 the AMNA.
