Four die in helicopter crash on France’s Reunion Island

SAINT-DENIS DE LA REUNION: Four people died on Tuesday in a helicopter crash in one of the most popular tourist destinations on France´s Indian Ocean territory of Reunion, firefighters said.

The accident occurred at the cirque de Salazie, a Unesco World Heritage Site in the tropical island. Prosecutors have opened an investigation, Michael Mathaux, a sub-prefect at Saint-Benoit in the east of the island, told journalists.

The four-seat light aircraft hit a rock and crashed in an area inaccessible by foot. A major rescue operation involving 35 gendarmes and some 30 firefighters has been launched.

The company owning the helicopter said it was used to conduct “training” and could also be hired by private pilots. Twenty people have been killed in accidents involving helicopters or microlight aircraft in Reunion over the past two decades.