Two helicopters carrying reality TV stars smash into each other, 10 people killed
This is the
dramatic moment two helicopters crash midair in Argentina, killing 10
people including three French sports stars taking part in a reality TV
show.
The
video, shown on Argentinian TV this morning, reveals how one of the
aircraft smashes into the other from below while flying over trees in a
remote town. Seconds later, both craft plunge to the ground and explode in a ball of flames.
Champion
sailor Florence Arthaud, Olympic gold medal swimmer Camille Muffat and
Olympic boxer Alexis Vastin were all killed, along with two Argentine
pilots and five other French nationals.
Doomed: Olympians Camille Muffat, centre, Florence Arthaud, second right
and Alexis Vastine far right, are pictured with their fellow
contestants on their way to film French survival TV show 'Dropped'.
Former Arsenal footballer Sylvain Wiltord (centre left) was in the show,
but was not on board either of the helicopters
Prosecutors
in Paris today opened a manslaughter inquiry as Argentinian police
removed the bodies from the wreckage of the helicopters.
Air accident investigators have yet to reveal the cause of the crash, which happened around 5pm local time yesterday.
The
celebrities were taking part in a survival TV series called Dropped for
French TV when the crash happened in a rugged mountain range in La
Rioja province.
A
cattle farmer has told how he rushed to one of the helicopters to try
to rescue survivors, but was beaten back by the heat and smoke.
David
Ocampo said: 'One of the helicopters sounded as if it was firing off
shots or experiencing small explosions that were completely out of
place.
'The
other one smashed into it from behind with its propellor after trying
to swerve to avoid it and fell to the ground and exploded. The earth
shook when they fell.
'I rushed towards it to see if there were any survivors but it was just a ball of flame.
'I couldn't see anything really, just smoke and the tail of one of the two helicopters between the bushes.'
Earlier,
it emerged today that former Arsenal footballer Sylvain Wiltord missed
the doomed flights because he had been voted off the show the day
before.
A
statement from local government officials identified the remaining
victims as Laurent Sbasnik, Lucie Mei-Dalby, Volodia Guinard, Brice
Guilbert and Edouard Gilles, as well as Argentine pilots Juan Carlos
Castillo and Roberto Abate.
The
accident happened at around 5pm on Monday shortly after the two
aircraft took off in a mountainous region of La Rioja, in Argentina's
north west.
Disel
Cuneo, government spokesman for the province, said: 'There are several
French nationals among the victims. So far we only know of two Argentine
victims.'
There
were unconfirmed reports that one of the victims died after jumping out
of one of the helicopters seconds before they crashed.
Another provincial spokesman, Horacio Alarcon, said that the two helicopters appeared to have collided during filming.
'There are no survivors,' he added.
Alexis Vastine, a boxer who won
bronze at the 2008 Beijing Olympics (left) and Florence Arthaud, who won
the transatlantic sailing race Route du Rhum in 1990, were also
reported to have been killed
Camille Muffat, an Olympic
swimmer who won gold in the freestyle at London 2012 and is a former
world record holder died in the helicopter crash
Grief: Adriani Vastine (centre)
and Alain Vastine (right), the brother and father of Alexis Vastine,
weep as they take gather to pay tribute to the Olympic boxer in
Pont-Audemer, northwestern France
Culled from UK Daily Mail
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