The crash happened between the towns of Cabasse and Carcès, northwest of the coastal resort of Saint-Tropez.

“The helicopters collided. There were three army personnel in one and two in the other. All are dead,” police said, according to Agence France-Presse.

Florence Parly, minister for France’s armed forces, described the incident as “tragic” in a tweet adding that she will visit the military facility where the helicopters were based later in the day. “I pay tribute to the soldiers killed and I want to tell their families and brothers in arms my solidarity and my full support,” Parly tweeted.