France plane crash: Two British men die as aircraft collide over mountain pass, say authorities

‘The victims are two British men, aged 18 and 37 years old,’ says French official

Maddalena Pass on the French-Italian border (Wikimedia Commons /Twice25 & Rinina25)

Two British citizens have died after a light plane they were travelling in collided mid-air with another aircraft in the south of France, said French authorities.

The crash took place at around 12.45pm on Wednesday over the high mountain Maddalena Pass on the Alpine border with Italy.

“The victims are two British men, aged 18 and 37 years old,” said a French regional government official.

The Alpes-de-Haute province official said the pilot of the first plane was injured in the crash at Pre-la-Font in the valley near Larche.

Both of the “recreational aircraft” were registered in England, and both had taken off from an airfield in Saint-Pons earlier today.

“Two recreational aircraft registered in England that took off from the airfield of Saint-Pons crashed in the valley near Larche, at a place called Pre-la-Font, at south of the head of Viraysse, with one person on board the first aircraft and two people on board the second,” the French official said in a statement.

“The pilot of the first plane is slightly injured. The two people in the second plane died.”

The crash happened in mid-air over the mountain pass on the French-Italian border at an altitude of around 2775m, according to reports.

Rescue helicopters, ambulances, firefighters and police were all called out to the scene. The local police force will now investigate to determine the causes of the crash.

A spokesperson for the Foreign Office said: “We are in contact with the local authorities about the death of two British men in France and we are offering assistance to their families.”