Thousands of spectators looked on as a Greek air force jet crashed during an aerial display north of Athens on Saturday, triggering a fire that sent large plumes of black smoke into the sky.
No injuries were reported among the audience following the crash of the twin-seat Phantom F4 jet, which occurred while it was performing a low-altitude manoeuvre.
Air force officials in Greece offered no immediate update regarding the condition of the two crew members, stating that emergency responders were hindered by the fire on the grounds of Tanagra air force base, located 60 kilometres (about 40 miles) north of Athens.
Eighty-five firefighters, assisted by 11 water-dropping planes and helicopters, worked to tackle the blaze. The fire was kept at a distance from the crowd at the annual Athens Flying Week event.
Saturday’s crash comes just weeks after a British couple were killed on their honeymoon when their helicopter crashed on the Greek island of Sifnos justminutes before landing.
Police said that Alexander Cromie and Marie Ebert were flying to the Aegean island when their helicopter crashed and burst into flames in the Tholos area on Monday 17 August.
A senior police official in Athens said that the crash occurred just minutes before the helicopter was scheduled to land at 6.15pm on the Monday evening.
CCTV footage showed the aircraft spinning out of control before plummeting to the ground and igniting a fireball. A thick plume of dark smoke was seen billowing into the sky from the site of the crash.
Asset management firm Blackstone, where Mr Cromie worked as a vice president in private wealth, said it was “shocked” by the couple’s death.
“We are shocked by the tragic passing of three people, including our colleague Alex Cromie and his wife Marie Ebert, who were celebrating their honeymoon,” they said.
“Alex was beloved by everyone who knew and worked with him at Blackstone, and our thoughts and prayers are with his loved ones.”
The pilot of the vehicle was named locally as Giorgos Raikos.
Sifnos has a permanent population of around 2,600 people, but has become a popular island to visit for tourists in recent years.