Two months after the attack on Charlie Hebdo, France is once again in shock. This time it's not a terrorist attack but a tragic fatality, which cost the lives of three symbols of transalpine sport: the swimmer, Olympic 400m freestyle, Camille Muffat, the sailor Florence Arthaud and the boxer alexis vastin (also an Olympic medalist). The three, along with seven other people, died in La Rioja, Argentina, in the collision between two helicopters of the Dropped crew.
Dropped is a TF1 TV program, comparable to our Island of the Famous. The clash took place at 17 pm in Argentina Quebrada del Yeso, locality of Villa Castelli, and apparently the weather conditions were good. Seven other people lost their lives with them, including the two Argentine helicopter pilots and five members of the format's staff. These are Laurent Sbasnik, Lucie Mel-Dalby, Volodia Guinard, Brice Guilbert and Edouard Gilles. The other five athletes involved in the format, the swimmer Alain Bernard, the cyclist Jeannie Longo, the footballer Sylvain Wiltord, the snowboarder Anne-Flore Marxer and the skater Philippe Candeloro, were in a hotel and in a camp at the time of the accident.
“Apparently, i two helicopters collided maneuvering – said a spokesman for the province of La Rioja, Horacio Alarcon -. We don't know what caused the collision." The broadcast was to be aired this summer in France. The format foresees that the athletes are left alone in the middle of nature. Shooting for what would have been the second edition had started a week ago. Filming has been suspended and all the people who worked on it will be deported. The TF1 group has expressed "immense sadness" and the whole country, from sports colleagues to fans, is in shock.
