TWO French military training helicopters have crashed after colliding in a wooded area of Provence, killing five people on board, police said.
The crash occurred between the small towns of Cabasse and Carces, in the picturesque Var region, about 30 miles north of Saint-Tropez.
Roads were cordoned off throughout a broad zone around the crash site, and some three dozen police and military officials were dispatched to the scene.
A gendarme said three people aboard one helicopter were killed and two people on the other.
Officials gave conflicting information about how many people were aboard altogether and whether anyone had survived the crash.
Debris scattered across two large zones, but the area is uninhabited and no-one on the ground was hurt, said the gendarme.
French defence minister Florence Parly offered her condolences to the families of the victims and their army colleagues, and was expected to travel to the region.
A spokeswoman for the French army said the helicopters came from the army’s light aviation school based in nearby Le-Cannet-des-Maures.
The school includes a special joint training programme with German military pilots, and its pilots are sometimes used for firefighting operations in the area.
Why are you making commenting on The National only available to subscribers?
We know there are thousands of National readers who want to debate, argue and go back and forth in the comments section of our stories. We’ve got the most informed readers in Scotland, asking each other the big questions about the future of our country.
Unfortunately, though, these important debates are being spoiled by a vocal minority of trolls who aren’t really interested in the issues, try to derail the conversations, register under fake names, and post vile abuse.
So that’s why we’ve decided to make the ability to comment only available to our paying subscribers. That way, all the trolls who post abuse on our website will have to pay if they want to join the debate – and risk a permanent ban from the account that they subscribe with.
The conversation will go back to what it should be about – people who care passionately about the issues, but disagree constructively on what we should do about them. Let’s get that debate started!
Callum Baird, Editor of The National
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here