Three dead in helicopter crash off Greek island of Poros

Athens: Three persons lost their lives when a private helicopter crashed in the sea area off Poros island on Tuesday.

The bodies of two Russian nationals who were on board have already been recovered from the cabin, while divers were due to retrieve the body of the Greek pilot, according to the island’s mayor Yannis Dimitriadis. 

Initially it was unclear how many people were on board the helicopter whose destination was Athens, when it got tangled in electricity power lines shortly after takeoff, the Xinhua news agency reported. 

Eyewitnesses talked to Greek national broadcaster ERT about an explosion before the plane plunged into waters a few meters off the coast. 

The island which is located south of Athens, off the western coast of Peloponnese peninsula, has been hit by a blackout after the incident.