Helicopter crashes in French Alps with six passengers onboard

Forty rescue personnel involved in search operation

A SAF helicopter of the same model as the one pictured is reported to have crashed in Bonvillard in the French Alps. (EPA)

A helicopter with six passengers on-board has crashed in the French Alps and a search and rescue operation has begun, local authorities have said. 

The crash occurred at an altitude of 1,800 metres on Tuesday afternoon in south-eastern France near the town of Bovillard, according to a statement released by the Savoie prefecture. 

Four of the six passengers are employees of the private company Service Aérien Francais and the other two are first-aid workers.

Authorities were alerted to the incident a little after 7pm local time by the helicopter’s pilot, who managed to eject himself from the aircraft. 

A team of 40 people is involved in the ongoing rescue operations. While a ground crew and a doctor were able to reach the zone by 8.20 CET, three helicopters that were deployed could not get close to the crash site because of thick fog. 

The prefecture also confirmed that rescuers had managed to establish contact with one of the people who had been on the helicopter. 

In a separate statement, France’s air accident bureau said it had started an investigation into the accident and would send a team to the site.

Additional reporting by Reuters