Helicopter crash kills four French police in Pyrenees

At least four French police have been killed in a helicopter crash in the Pyrenees mountain range along the border with Spain.

According to authorities, the accident took place on Friday at an altitude of between 2,000 and 3,000 metres near the Vignemale, the highest peak on the French side of the mountains, reports the Guardian. All the dead were in their 40s and reportedly the team included the pilot, co-pilot and two mountain rescue specialists involved in a training exercise.

Eric Serfass, the prosecutor from the nearby town of Tarbes who announced an investigation into the crash, said that although weather at the time of the crash was good, flying at such altitudes were extremely difficult. The last fatal police helicopter crash in the country occurred in 1997. It was also in the Pyrenees and two people were killed in the incident.