Helicopter crash in French Alps kills five rescue workers

Five people died and a sixth was fighting life-threatening injuries on Wednesday after a helicopter crashed in the French Alps the previous evening. It was not known what caused the crash of the helicopter, which was carrying an air rescue crew on a training mission.

A helicopter operated by private rescue company Service aérien français crashed near the French Alps community of Bonvillard on Tuesday, killing five people on board and seriously injuring a sole survivor. © Google Maps

The helicopter went down at an altitude of 1,800 metres around Bonvillard, a community 15 kilometres southwest of Albertville in the French Alps, around 7 pm Tuesday, local officials said.

The pilot was able to eject and give the alert. Also on board were another pilot, two winch operators and two mountain rescue workers in the CRS police force.

Mountain rescuers of the gendarmerie military police found the pilot at 9:15pm. He was taken to critical care facilities at the university hospital of Grenoble.

Three helicopters were dispatched but had been unable to reach the accident side due to fog, the Savoie prefecture said. Rescue teams were also trying to reach the site by ground.

The helicopter was an Airbus EC135 operated by private company Service aérien francais (SAF), which operates in the Alps, the southwest and the Paris region.

SAF’s activities involve rescue missions in mountain regions including at ski stations as well as transporting goods and tourism.

Pour sauver des vies, ils prennent tous les risques. Ce soir en Savoie, 3 membres du Secours aérien français et 2 CRS Alpes ont succombé à un crash d’hélicoptère. Une personne, blessée, se bat pour vivre. Soutien de la Nation aux familles, amis et collègues de ces héros français.

— Emmanuel Macron (@EmmanuelMacron) December 8, 2020

“They risked everything to save lives,” French President Emmanuel Macron said on social media. “The nation pledges its support to families, friends and colleagues of these French heroes.”

France’s air accident bureau said it had opened an investigation to determine the cause of the crash and would send a team to the site.

(with newswires)