Five die after helicopter crashes in French Alps

Five people were killed in a helicopter crash in the French Alps on Tuesday and a sixth was injured and fighting for his life, French President Emmanuel Macron said.

The helicopter was carrying an air rescue crew on a training mission when it went down at an altitude of 1,800 meters (5,905 feet), local authorities said.

The pilot of the aircraft, which also had another pilot on board as well as two winch operators and two mountain rescue workers, was able to eject and give the alert.

Three helicopters were dispatched but had been unable to reach the accident site due to fog while rescue teams were also trying to approach by ground, the Savoie prefecture said in a statement.

France’s air accident bureau said separately that it had opened an investigation and would dispatch a team to the site. 

A sixth person, the pilot, managed to eject himself from the aircraft and raised the alarm. He is now in hospital in Grenoble after being found by a search team.