Helicopter crashes in French Alps with six passengers onboard

A helicopter with six passengers on-board has crashed in the French Alps and a search and rescue operation has begun, local authorities have said.

The crash occurred at an altitude of 1,800 metres on Tuesday afternoon in south-eastern France near the town of Bovillard, according to a statement released by the Savoie prefecture.

Four of the six passengers are employees of the private company Service Aérien Francais and the other two are first-aid workers.

Authorities were alerted to the incident a little after 7pm local time by the helicopter’s pilot, who managed to eject himself from the aircraft.