Rescue crews recovered the wreckage after the incident near the island of Leros.

Athens

: Three Greek navy personnel were feared dead Thursday after their helicopter crashed into the Aegean Sea during an exercise, the state Athens News Agency reported.

Rescue crews recovered the wreckage after the incident near the island of Leros, but the two pilots and one engineer on board were still unaccounted for.

The agency reported that all three are dead, but the defence ministry was expected to make an official announcement later Thursday.

Defence Minister Panos Kammenos has cut short his participation in a NATO summit in Brussels and will return to Athens because of the incident, ANA said.

Other navy vessels in the exercise are participating in the search in addition to a helicopter and an army transport plane, the agency said.