A group of French sports stars participating in the reality TV show Dropped have been killed when their two helicopters collided in midair while filming in Argentina, local officials confirm to the AFP.
Olympic swimming gold medalist Camille Muffat, Olympic boxer Alexis Vastine, and champion sailor Florence Arthaud are among those who were killed when two helicopters crashed into each other in the mountainous La Rioja province of northwestern Argentina late on Monday, March 9.
"Apparently, the two helicopters collided as they were filming. There are no survivors," provincial spokesman Horacio Alarcon told the AFP, adding that the weather conditions were good and the cause of the crash is unknown. French President Francois Hollande's office later confirmed the victims included the notable sports stars. The two Argentinian pilots were also among those who died.
Muffat, 25, brought home three medals from the 2012 London Olympics. Vastine, 28, won bronze in the light welterweight category in the 2008 Beijing games. Arthaud, 57, was considered one of the best sailors in the world, having achieved as much as most men in a heavily male-dominated sport.
The reality show Dropped is a survival-themed production which involves eight sports stars being left in inhospitable environments for an adventure-style show. Contestants have to fend for themselves while attempting to find their way back to civilization. It was due to air on the French TV channel TF1.
Other show contestants, swimmer Alain Bernard, cyclist Jeannie Longo, footballer Sylvain Wiltord, snowboarder Anne-Flore Marxer, and figure skater Philippe Candeloro, were not involved in the crash.
