Astoria
03-18-2008, 02:27 PM
Greek military helicopter crashes in northern Greece, killing all 3 on board
COSTAS KANTOURIS, Associated Press Writer
March 18, 2008 7:18 AM
THESSALONIKI, Greece (AP) - A military helicopter crashed beside a highway in northern Greece on Tuesday, killing all three people on board, officials said.
The Greek army helicopter went down in an uninhabited area near Lake Koroneia, about 12 miles east of the port city of Thessaloniki, said Defense Ministry spokesman Anastassios Evangeliou. The bodies of the three crewmen were found at the crash site.
The cause of the accident was unclear.
Local farmer Ilias Georgiadis said the helicopter seemed to have exploded in the air.
''I saw it flying over my stable, 300 meters (yards) from the crash site, and heard an explosion in the air,'' he told The Associated Press
Rescue crews said the Huey UH-1H was blasted to pieces, the debris scattered a few meters from a highway.. No vehicles were on the road at the time.
The army said the helicopter had taken off from the Alexandria military base, about 25 miles west of Thessaloniki, and was en route to a special forces camp near the lake. It vanished from military radars at 10:38 a.m.
COSTAS KANTOURIS, Associated Press Writer
March 18, 2008 7:18 AM
THESSALONIKI, Greece (AP) - A military helicopter crashed beside a highway in northern Greece on Tuesday, killing all three people on board, officials said.
The Greek army helicopter went down in an uninhabited area near Lake Koroneia, about 12 miles east of the port city of Thessaloniki, said Defense Ministry spokesman Anastassios Evangeliou. The bodies of the three crewmen were found at the crash site.
The cause of the accident was unclear.
Local farmer Ilias Georgiadis said the helicopter seemed to have exploded in the air.
''I saw it flying over my stable, 300 meters (yards) from the crash site, and heard an explosion in the air,'' he told The Associated Press
Rescue crews said the Huey UH-1H was blasted to pieces, the debris scattered a few meters from a highway.. No vehicles were on the road at the time.
The army said the helicopter had taken off from the Alexandria military base, about 25 miles west of Thessaloniki, and was en route to a special forces camp near the lake. It vanished from military radars at 10:38 a.m.