Five people were killed and one injured when a helicopter collided with a light aircraft in the Alps in northern Italy, mountain rescue officials said.
Italy’s mountain rescue service reported on Twitter "a crash between a helicopter and a light aircraft" above the Rutor glacier, in the Aosta Valley near France, and sent two helicopters to help.
It was not immediately clear how the accident happened or who was aboard the two aircraft. The Italian press said those killed were foreigners but gave no further details.
Alpine rescue corps spokesman Walter Milan said the accident happened at an altitude of about 3,000 meters (9.843 feet) on Friday afternoon and the two aircraft carried a total of six people.
One person was hospitalised with serious injuries.
The dynamics of the crash remained unclear as rescue crews worked to remove the bodies.
The identities and nationalities of the victims have not been released.
The Rutor glacier covers nine square kilometers (3 ½square miles) and is the second-largest in the Val d’Aosta region, which borders France.
The region’s website says skiers frequently access it by helicopter during winter.