Photo taken on June 23, 2017 shows the scene of the crash of a spray helicopter near Athens, Greece. Two people lost their lives when a spray helicopter crashed in a wetland at the outskirts of the Schinias seaside resort, some 45 km northeast of Athens, Greek national news agency AMNA reported on Friday. (Xinhua/Liu Yongqiu)
ATHENS, June 23 (Xinhua) -- Two people lost their lives and another person was injured, when a spray helicopter crashed in a wetland at the outskirts of Schinias seaside resort, some 45 kilometers northeast of Athens, Greek authorities said on Friday.
"The pilot named D.P. and a passenger named Chr. V. were retrieved dead by the Fire Brigade's rescue squad," according to an e-mailed statement from the Fire Brigade's headquarters.
The third passenger of the helicopter, named E.D., a university student on an internship program who survived the crash, was rescued by local residents, who rushed to the site, according to the press release.
The young man was transferred to an Athens hospital and his condition was not serious, Attica Region Vice Governor Petros Filippou told Greek national news agency AMNA.
The student, 22, has suffered "medium-level chest and orthopedic injuries which do not currently require surgical intervention and he is in stable condition," the hospital said in a statement.
The two victims were later identified as the pilot Dimitris Prentzas and wetland guard Christoforos Voulgarelis.
According to Filippou, when the aerial spraying against mosquitoes was completed, the pilot took on board the student and the guard to fly with him over the wetland. However, the helicopter hit electricity wires and crashed. The circumstances of the crash are being investigated.
Filippou told Xinhua and other media that the pilot was very experienced and knew the area.
"He was an experienced pilot who had retired from the Air Force... I had met him. He was working here for several years. He did not just show up today. It was not that this was his first time and he did not know the place," the official stressed.
"The Fire Brigade service of Nea Makri which was closer to the site was mobilized immediately. Nine vehicles and special rescue teams reached the site of the crash, as some citizens who were on the spot had already intervened trying to retrieve the people," Constantinos Giovas, Head of Attica's Fire Brigade, said on his part.
The final moments of the passengers on board were captured on camera, as the guard was broadcasting live the flight on his Facebook account, local media, such as news portal in.gr, reported.
"Shift from high altitude" read the caption Voulgarelis posted with the short video which ended abruptly.
Costas Dostis, a friend of the guard, told Xinhua near the site of the crash that Voulgarelis was a hardworking person, an elite bodybuilder living in nearby Marathon city, the birthplace of the Marathon race. Christoforos who is leaving behind a seven-year-old son was a man who loved action, Dostis said.
"We knew Christoforos, he was from Marathon. We knew him very well. We grew up together. He was a great person. We know his entire family and it is a pity that he died this way," he said.
"Such flights are conducted in very low altitude so that the spraying can be done in a certain manner (to be effective)," Dostis added.
The Region of Attica, as well as political parties, expressed deep condolences to the families of the victims in statements.
The helicopter belonged to the fleet of a private company which was hired by local authorities to spray insecticide for mosquitoes.
According to the Region of Attica press release, the helicopter had just conducted the fifth round of spraying and all safety measures had been taken.
