French sports stars among 10 dead in Argentina helicopter crash
A man stands near one of two helicopters that crashed near Villa Castelli in the La Rioja province of Argentina, Monday, March 9, 2015. APTwo helicopters carrying passengers filming a popular European reality show crashed Monday in a remote area of northwest Argentina, killing eight French citizens and two Argentines, authorities said.
The helicopters crashed while flying near Villa Castelli in La Rioja province, about 727 miles (1,170 kilometers) northwest of Buenos Aires, La Rioja Secretary of Security Cesar Angulo told television station TN. All 10 people on board both aircraft were killed.
"An explosion occurred and it\’s believed that they must have collided," said Angulo. "Aeronautical experts will have to determine that."
La Rioja police commissary Fabian Gordillo told state news agency Telam that the dead included two Argentine pilots and eight French citizens. The Argentine pilots were identified as Juan Carlos Castillo and Roberto Abate. The identities of the Frenchmen were not released.
The mayor of Villa Castelli, Andres Navarrete, said the French nationals were part of a team filming the reality show "Dropped," a survivalist program with several versions across Europe.
"The causes of the crash are not known," Navarrete told radio station Cadena 3. "The helicopters hit the ground and we have this tragedy."
Angulo said one of the helicopters belonged to La Rioja province and the other belonged to the neighboring province of Santiago del Estero.
Several after-hours calls to various departments within the municipality of Villi Castelli were not answered.
SOURCE: AP
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