France helicopter crash: Five dead after two aircraft crash in southern Provence

Five people have died after two helicopters crashed in the south of France, according to local media reports.

Officials said the aircraft belonged to an army flight training school and came down in the Var region of Provence.

All those on board both helicopters were feared dead. Security sources and a local authority official put the death toll at five, though that is yet to be confirmed.

Emergency services have set up a crisis centre to coordinate the search and rescue effort, according to regional newspaper Var-Matin.

The incident took place at about 9am local time around halfway between Marseille and Nice, and images posted to local news website showed large numbers of emergency services vehicles attending the scene. The crash site is located on the shores of Lake Carcès, Var-Matin reported, between the communes of Cabasse and Carcès.