A British couple on their honeymoon and their pilot have been killed in a helicopter crash on the Greek island of Sifnos, police said.

The newlyweds, identified as Alexander Cromie and Marie Ebert, were killed when the private helicopter crashed just metres from a landing pad on Monday.

The pilot was a Greek national.

The couple had reportedly travelled by helicopter from the village of Markopoulo, near Athens, to Sifnos, a popular holiday destination, according to Greek newspaper Kathimerini.

Greece’s aviation safety authority has launched an investigation into the crash. Investigators were due to travel to the scene on Tuesday to collect evidence and speak to witnesses.

Sifnos Deputy Mayor Manolis Foundoulakis arrived at the crash site shortly after the incident and told local news outlet Newsit that there was “almost nothing left” of the aircraft.

Residents reportedly watched as the helicopter crashed within metres of their homes. Witnesses also described hearing a “bizarre engine noise” coming from the aircraft as it approached the landing area.

Firefighters responded to a blaze that broke out following the crash. The fire had been extinguished by Monday evening.

A spokesperson for the UK Foreign Office said: “Our thoughts are with the families during this difficult time. We are providing consular support and in contact with the Greek authorities.”

About a dozen Palestinian households in the occupied West Bank village of Qusra have been ordered to leave their homes during an Israeli military operation to remove Israeli settlers who had been besieging Palestinian families.

The settlers had surrounded three Palestinian homes since Sunday, cutting off residents’ electricity and water supplies.

The Israeli military said the operation was intended to “protect the residents”.

Israeli government spokesman David Mencer described the settlers’ actions as “deplorable” and “unacceptable”, saying authorities would investigate, arrest and prosecute those responsible.

The confrontation began on Sunday when Israeli settlers blocked access roads leading to the families’ homes and cut off their water and electricity.

The first Israeli soldiers to arrive at the scene reportedly prayed alongside the settlers. The Israeli military later said the soldiers involved would face disciplinary action.

The affected families appealed for help on social media after their utilities were cut off.

On Wednesday, an attempt by Israeli security forces to remove the settlers resulted in confrontations involving a larger group.

The incident comes amid a wider increase in violence by Israeli settlers in the occupied West Bank. Palestinians and rights groups have accused settlers of using intimidation and attacks to force Palestinians from their land.

Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank are considered illegal under international law, although Israel disputes this interpretation.

Four Canadian ice hockey players acquitted of sexual assault have been suspended from representing Canada internationally after an independent appeals board ruled they breached Hockey Canada’s code of conduct.

The board recommended that four of the five players involved — Michael McLeod, Dillon Dube, Cal Foote and Carter Hart — remain suspended from Hockey Canada-sanctioned programmes.

The fifth player, Alex Formenton, was also found to have breached the organisation’s conduct rules but will be reinstated immediately.

The five former members of Canada’s under-20 junior hockey team were accused of sexually assaulting a woman in a hotel room in London, Ontario, in 2018. They were acquitted in July 2025.

The Hockey Canada ruling does not prevent any of the players from competing in the National Hockey League (NHL), which operates independently of Hockey Canada.

All five were permitted by the NHL to sign contracts with league teams late last year after the league conducted its own investigation into the incident.

While Formenton is eligible for immediate reinstatement by Hockey Canada, the other four players will have to wait varying periods before they can return to international competition.

Foote will become eligible on 10 November this year, while Hart and Dube will be eligible on 10 November 2027 and 10 November 2028 respectively. McLeod’s suspension runs until 10 November 2030.

Officials did not explain why the reinstatement dates differ between the players.

The five men had been accused of assaulting a woman, identified in court as EM, after meeting her at a bar while attending a gala in London in 2018.

The case centred on whether EM, who was 20 at the time, had consented to all of the sexual activity that took place in the hotel room.

The court heard that EM had consensual sex with McLeod before other players entered the room and engaged in further sexual acts with her.

The players’ lawyers argued that EM had asked the men to have sex with her and that they believed she had consented.

Justice Maria Carroccia acquitted all five players in July 2025, saying she did not find EM’s evidence “credible or reliable”.

The latest Hockey Canada ruling is separate from the criminal court decision and concerns the players’ eligibility under the organisation’s own code of conduct.