SAINT-DENIS DE LA REUNION, Oct 31, 2023 (BSS/AFP) - Four people died 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.

In the most recent such incident, a pilot was killed in a helicopter crash in 
early August.