MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 02nd December, 2019) Three French rescuers were killed after a search and rescue helicopter went off the radar in the early morning of Monday and crashed in the flood-affected southern French department of Bouches-du-Rhone, the Interior Ministry said in a statement.
"In the evening of December 1, as the EC145 Civil Security helicopter was heading to Le Luc-et-le-Cannet (Var) for a search and rescue operation, the radio and radars went off. Despite significant search efforts [on land and in the air], the three crew of the helicopter were found dead at 1:30 a.m. [00:30 GMT] near the town of Rove (Bouches-du-Rhone)," the statement read.
According to the statement, the late crew included pilot Jean Garat, engineer Michel Escalin, and firefighter Norbert Savornin.
The ministry added that an investigation would determine the exact circumstances of the accident.
