French sports stars testify in Argentine crash inquiry

Several top French athletes testified in the Argentine inquiry into a helicopter crash that killed 10 people during a reality TV shoot, said a source close to the case.
Olympic champion swimmer Alain Bernard, figure skater Philippe Candeloro and cyclist Jeannie Longo recounted the twin helicopter crash to the judge assigned to the case, who is interviewing witnesses at a hotel in Argentina's remote northwest, said the source.
There were no survivors in Monday's deadly collision between two helicopters that were filming the reality series "Dropped" in the rugged mountains of La Rioja province.
The judge, Daniel Herrera, said the athletes and two dozen TV crew members who were not involved in the crash could go home to France after testifying, estimating it would take about 48 hours.

Bernard, Candeloro and Longo have been holed up in the Hotel Picas Negras along with snowboarder Anne-Flore Marxer and dozens of TV crew members waiting to testify in the inquiry and return home to their families.
A team of officers from France's gendarmerie police force was en route to join their Argentine counterparts to comb through the charred wreckage of the helicopters and work to identify the bodies.

Investigators from France's air accident investigation authority, the BEA, as well as helicopter manufacturer Airbus Helicopters and engine maker Turbomeca are already working at the scene, where they have begun dismantling the charred wreckage, looking for clues.

Argentine forensic experts are waiting for their French counterparts to arrive to begin identifying the victims' remains, a local coroner said. Investigators will have to rely on dental records or DNA tests to identify the badly burned bodies.
"Dropped," which was to air on French channel TF1 but was immediately canceled after the crash, featured sports stars who were taken blindfolded into rugged environments and given 72 hours to get to a place where they could charge a mobile phone.
The crash killed Olympic champion swimmer Camille Muffat, renowned yachtswoman Florence Arthaud and Olympic boxer Alexis Vastine, as well as five French television crew members and two Argentine pilots.

Initial investigations indicate the crash was caused by human error, officials say.