Greece is participating  in the search and rescue operation for a missing Canadian Air Force with a Navy helicopter and a military aircraft, , the Greek National Defence General Staff said on Thursday. The search for the Canadian helicopter, which crashed into the sea, is currently in progress west of the island of Cephallonia, inside Rome's Flight Information Region (FIR).
An S-70B AEGEAN HAWK helicopter with a four-member crew and a rescue worker has been partcipating in the search from 06:30 on Thursday morning while a C-130 military aircraft will join the operation at 17:30.
The Italian authorities asked for assistance from Greece and Defence Minister Nikos Panagiotopoulos gave his approval. The SAR mission is being coordinated by the Italian Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre, said the General Staff's announcement.
The missing helicopter was patrolling international waters between Greece and Italy as part of the NATO exercise.