Live UpdateFrom the Liveblog of Tuesday, September 14, 2021

Greece probes crash that killed witness in Netanyahu trial

By AP 14 September 2021, 5:09 pm 0 Edit

Paramedics wait next to ambulances at Pythagorio port, on the eastern Aegean island of Samos, Greece, late Monday, Sept. 13, 2021, after the crash of a private plane from Israel that killed a prosecution witness in the corruption trial of former prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu. (AP Photo/Michael Svarnias)

Authorities in Greece open an investigation into the crash of a private plane from Israel that killed a prosecution witness in the corruption trial of former prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Haim Geron, a former senior Communications Ministry official, and his wife, Esther, were killed in the crash late Monday off the island of Samos. The Israeli Foreign Ministry identified the victims, both 69, adding that consular officials and the ministry were working with the family to return the bodies.

Greece’s Air Accident Investigation and Aviation Board is investigating the causes of the crash, officials say.

“Shortly before landing, communication with the control tower on Samos was lost and the Civil Aviation Authority informed the search and rescue center about the loss of communication,” the authority says in a statement.

The bodies of the two Israeli occupants were recovered by the coast guard several hours later with the help of divers.