Greece: Two Israelis killed in single-engine private plane crash off Samos Island

At least two onboard passengers were killed in a single-engine plane crash off the coast of Greece Island. The incident took place near Samos Island in Greece's Aegean Sea, AMNA news agency reported. As per Associated Press, both the passengers died on the spot after the plane plunged from mid-air.

The bodies were retrieved by the Greek Coast Guard. Both the onboard passengers were identified as Israeli citizens, who were planning to visit the island. The Coast Guard carried out a thorough search and rescue operations involving patrol vessels and fishing boats and recovered the dead bodies of the man and the woman. A probe has been launched by the Greek government to identify the immediate cause of the accident.

Previous plane crash incidents in Greece

Another single-engine plane crashed on Greece mainland in July, killing all onboard passengers and the pilot. The small plane exploded and caught heavy fire after it hit the ground, Greece News Agency AMNA reported. The incident took place in the city of Pyrgos in the Peloponnese peninsula in southern Greece, Xinhua News Agency reported. The firefighters doused the blazing flames and recovered two bodies from the plane. As per reports, the plane was owned by a teacher, who was a trained pilot. The plane took flight from Messolonghi air club for a short flight over western Peloponnese. As per the flight plan, the single-engine private plane was to return to the air club after a short trip, director of the air club George Prevezanos told a local newspaper.

In another such incident, a fire-fighting plane crash landed during an emergency on the Greek Island of Zakynthos. The incident took place on September 9, when the plane had to opt for an emergency landing after it caught fire while battling a wildfire on the island of Evia capital. Fortunately, the pilot escaped without injuries. Thousands of people have been evacuated by ferry due to the massive wildfire on Evia Island.

(With inputs from ANI and AP)

(Image: Unsplash)