Updated 13.25
Five people have died after two army helicopters collided and crashed in a wooded area in southern France.
French police said the Gazelle helicopters, which both belonged to the Ealat military flight training school in nearby Le-Cannet-des-Maures, had collided in a wooded area between the small towns of Cabasse and Carces, around 30 miles northwest of the resort town of Saint-Tropez.
Three people were confirmed to have been on one helicopter, with two on the other, and none of them survived.
Two rescue aircraft were dispatched to the scene, along with some 20 troops and more than 30 police officers.
Roads were cordoned off in the surrounding area as a result of scattered debris.
Police said the area was uninhabited and nobody on the ground was hurt.
French defence minister Florence Parly is expected to travel to the Var region later on Friday.
In a post on Twitter, she also paid tribute to those killed.
Très vive émotion suite au tragique accident survenu ce matin dans le Var.
Je rends hommage aux militaires tués et je veux dire à leurs familles et leurs frères d’armes ma solidarité et mon soutien total.
Je me rends cet après-midi au Luc, où les hélicoptères étaient basés.
— Florence Parly (@florence_parly) February 2, 2018
The Ealat training school also hosts German and Spanish army pilots, and stores more than 80 aircraft, with the Gazelle helicopters in use by the French military in Mali.
