Italy plane crash: Tourist aircraft in mid-air collision with helicopter in Alps

Aircraft collide while flying over glacier in northwestern region of Val d'Aosta at around 10,000ft

Five people have been killed after a tourist plane and helicopter collided in mid-air over the Italian Alps.

The two aircraft were flying over a glacier in the northwestern region of Val d'Aosta at around 10,000ft when the crash happened.

Four alpine rescue helicopters were made available to help evacuate the passengers and crew.

The Italian Alpine rescue service said two injured people had been taken to hospital.

Neither their conditions nor the moments leading up to the collision over the Rutor glacier in La Thuile, on the border between Val d'Aosta and France, were immediately known.

Teams specialising in cutting through metal were also on their way to the site of the wreckage.

A photo tweeted by the CNSAS rescue agency showed parts of the helicopter in the snow.