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5 Killed in Collision of Helicopter, Plane Over Italy


A rescuer stands next to the debris of a helicopter after a midair collision between the aircraft and a small tourist airplane in the northwestern Italian region of Val d'Aosta, Jan 25, 2019.
A rescuer stands next to the debris of a helicopter after a midair collision between the aircraft and a small tourist airplane in the northwestern Italian region of Val d'Aosta, Jan 25, 2019.

Five people were killed Friday when a helicopter and a small tourist airplane collided near the border between France and Italy.

Italy's mountain rescue service said rescue workers found two people injured at the crash site and evacuated them.

Officials said the helicopter was carrying skiers to a glacier in the northwestern Italian region of Val d'Aosta when it collided with the tourist airplane about 3,000 meters (9,800 feet) over the Rutor glacier.

It was not immediately clear how the crash happened. The identities and nationalities of the victims had not yet been released.

Italy's Val d'Aosta region is popular with skiers. A website for the region says skiers frequently access the area by helicopter during winter.

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