Egypt's Patriarch of Alexandria, a top Greek Orthodox leader in a post that traces its lineage back to one of the first disciples of Christ, was killed in a helicopter crash, Greek authorities said yesterday.
A military spokesman said rescuers had found 7 bodies and were searching for the other 10 people aboard the military Chinook helicopter which was carrying Patriarch Petros and some of his staff when it crashed. Earlier reports said nine bodies had been recovered.
Patriarch Petros was on a pilgrimage to Orthodox monasteries on Mount Athos in northern Greece. The helicopter went down around 20 miles from Mount Athos due to still unknown reasons.
Military sources said there was practically nothing left from the helicopter which sank in deep waters. All aboard were assumed dead but the search would go on for at least 48 hours.
"We are devastated from this tragic accident where the Patriarch of Alexandria, venerable clerics, his staff and the crew lost their lives," said Church of Greece leader Archbishop Christodoulos.
Church of Greece spokesman Epifanios Economou said Petros, 55, was a respected church leader who breathed new life into the Patriarchate and the entire Orthodox Church in Africa since being elected as the 115th Patriarch of Alexandria in 1997.
Tributes poured in from around the world.
"This man was able to infuse African orthodoxy with dynamism, a spirit of openness and influence," the French Foreign Ministry said in a statement.
In New York, a UN spokesman said in a statement that Secretary-General Mr Kofi Annan was saddened by the death and offered his condolences to the patriarch's family and to the Greek Orthodox community as a whole.
The Patriarch's brother, press spokesman, police escort and two consultants were also on board, along with five crew.
Monks waiting for the Patriarch at the helipad in Karyes, capital of Mount Athos, notified authorities after waiting for some time for Petros to arrive, said Nikolaos Douvas, chief of Greece's Army General Staff.