French Olympic sports stars among 10 killed in Argentine helicopter crash

French sports stars participating in a reality TV show were among 10 people killed when their helicopters collided in midair while filming the survival series “Dropped” in the mountains of northwestern Argentina, local officials said. Champion sailor Florence Arthaud, Olympic gold medallist swimmer Camille Muffat and Olympic boxer Alexis Vastine were among those killed.

Apparently, the two helicopters collided as they were filming. There are no survivors.

Horacio Alarcon, La Rioja province spokesman

The provincial government said a cast and crew of around 80 people, mostly French nationals, had descended on the area in recent days to film the series. Shooting began in late February at the southern tip of South America in the glacial landscape of Patagonia. It then moved to La Rioja, whose scenic mountain landscapes are popular with tourists. The crash happened about 700 miles north of the capital, Buenos Aires.

It’s been four hours since the collision and [the wreckage] is still on fire. There’s smoke rising from the helicopters.

Police source at the scene

World helicopter crash