Four dead in French helicopter crash in Antarctica

SYDNEY - The pilot, mechanic and two staff of the French Antarctic research base were killed in helicopter crash, the Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA) said Saturday.

All aboard were killed when the AS350 Squirrel helicopter went down Thursday about 100 km from the Dumont d’Urville base in Antarctica, spokeswoman Tracey Jiggins said.

An Australian air force plane spotted the wreckage Friday. An Australian C-130 Hercules aircraft escorted a French helicopter to the crash site Saturday.

“It has been confirmed that all four French nationals did not survive the impact of the crash,” Jiggins said. “The French team are currently conducting recovery operations with assistance from the (US) McMurdo base and AMSA’s rescue coordination centre.”