Two Greek pilots perish

Two Greek army pilots perished when their Apache attack helicopter crashed on a training flight yesterday, Greece's defence minister said, as the armed forces declared an official mourning period.

The minister, Evangelos Venizelos, expressed "deep grief over the tragic death of two select members of the army's air corps" and promised an investigation "to the greatest possible extent" into the cause of the accident.

The Apache attack helicopter crashed shortly before noon (0900 GMT) at the Megara military airport 60 kilometres west of Athens, the Greek armed forces press office said. The army general staff said the pilots, both male, were mortally wounded on impact. The helicopter had been duly inspected before takeoff in what had been a training flight, it added.

Initial reports indicated the pilots had attempted a crash landing but witnesses said the helicopter plunged to the ground before catching fire.