PARIS, 09 December, 2020, (TON): A helicopter has crashed in the French Alps killing five of the six people on board, officials say.

The aircraft, owned by a private company, was carrying out a rescue mission when it went down near the town of Bonvillard in the Savoie area.

The cause of the crash is unclear, but officials say it could have been caused by poor weather.

The alarm was raised by the pilot who managed to escape from the helicopter and was found seriously injured.

In a tweet, French President Emmanuel Macron shared "support from the nation to the families, friend and colleagues of these French heroes".

Three other helicopters were dispatched on a rescue mission but were unable to reach the site of the accident due to fog. Nevertheless, a rescue team had managed to establish contact with the one surviving passenger.

Three helicopters and 40 personnel were involved in the rescue mission which carried on well into the evening.

The search and rescue helicopter was carrying out a training mission when it went down at 1,800 meters (5,905 feet). The pilot was able to eject before alerting the local authorities to the incident.

The SAF is a private company specializing in medical evacuations and deployments in skiing areas. It is believed that the survivor is an employee of the company.

France's air accident bureau announced that it was opening an investigation into the accident and would send a team to the site.