Three French sports stars die in Argentina helicopter crash

Three French sports personalities are among 10 people killed in a helicopter crash in Argentina, the French presidential office confirms.

Eight French nationals and their two Argentine pilots died when two helicopters collided in La Rioja province in the country's north-west.

Yachtswoman Florence Arthaud, Olympic swimmer Camille Muffat and Olympic boxer Alexis Vastine all died.

The helicopters were involved in the filming of TV survival show Dropped.

"The sudden death of our fellow French nationals is a cause of immense sadness," said a statement from French President Francois Hollande.

The helicopters collided during filming near Villa Castelli, about 1,170km (720 miles) from Buenos Aires, according to local officials.

The sport stars had been taking part in Dropped, a popular celebrity show on the channel TF1.

The show flies celebrities into rough terrain by helicopter and films their attempts to find food and shelter.

Five of those killed were said to have worked for Adventure Line Productions (ALP), the company working on the programme. They were named as Laurent Sbasnik, Lucie Mei-Dalby, Volodia Guinard, Brice Guilbert and Edouard Gilles.

BBC