10 people lost their lives when two helicopters collided in mid-air in Villa Castelli, some 200 kilometres from the capital of La Rioja province.
The crash occurred shortly after 5pm, and that all those onboard the two crafts at the time of collision perished. The crews included eight French citizens, and two Argentine nationals.
The deceased were part of a team from the Discovery Channel, who were filming a documentary in the area. One of the helicopters belonged to the government of La Rioja while the other craft came from Santiago del Estero.
Security secretary for La Rioja, Luis César Angulo, confirmed the news and explained that the helicopters were filming in the Quebrada del Yeso and El Condado areas of the province.
«Take-off was at 5.10 pm and an explosion occurred a few minutes later. Apparently the two craft collided and the result was 10 fatalities,» he affirmed.
The official also revealed that the pilots were believed to be from the province that provided each helicopter, but that still needed to be confirmed. The area of the crash forms part of the ‘precordillera’ mountain range, away from urban settlements, Angulo added.
Source: Buenos Aires Herald