A British tourist was killed by a helicopter's rear rotor during a family vacation in Greece.
Jack Fenton, 22, died in the tragic accident on Monday evening (July 25) after exiting the aircraft at a private airport in Spata, Athens.
According to reports, Fenton was with three other tourists, including his sister just before 6:30 PM local time, while his parents were in another helicopter on its way to the same spot following a flight from Mykonos.
"He was the first to disembark the Bell 407 helicopter in Athens and as he moved to the back, he was hit in the head by the aircraft’s small rear rotor," a police official told The Times. "There was no chance of him surviving. His death was instantaneous."
Fenton was a former Oxford Brookes university student, who also attended Sutton Valence boarding school in Kent, UK. Before the incident, he had returned from a short holiday in Mykonos.
As reported by the Independent, the pilot of the aircraft reportedly radioed his colleague who was flying the helicopter with Fenton's parents to warn him of the situation.
The pilot flying the young man's parents chose to divert from landing in the private airport in Spata and instead made an unscheduled landing at Athens International Airport - to stop the parents from seeing the scene of the unfortunate accident.
A source told The Sun: "The pilot saw what had happened and decided to spare the parents the sight of their son - it was horrendous."
A police source also told the outlet: "We are talking about a tragedy - an unprecedented tragedy that never should have happened."
"The cause is being investigated but it remains unclear why this happened or was allowed to happen when rotor blades pose such an obvious danger," the police added.
Local police have confirmed that investigations are now underway, and have assured that they are "doing everything to understand what went wrong and how this tragic incident occurred".
It has been reported by local media that the pilot of the helicopter and two ground technicians have been arrested. All three appeared before a prosecutor in court and testified in connection to the incident.
Fenton’s friends - all men in their twenties who were also present at the accident - also provided testimony before returning to the UK.
A spokesperson for the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office sent their condolences and said to the Press Association: "We are supporting the family of a British man who has died in Greece and are in contact with the local authorities."
