The bodies of three French sports stars and five crew members killed during a helicopter accident while filming a reality TV show in Argentina earlier this month were being flown back to Paris late on Saturday.
Coffins containing renowned yachtswoman Florence Arthaud, Olympic champion swimmer Camille Muffat and boxer Alexis Vastine, along with the crew members were loaded on an Air France flight that departed Buenos Aires at 6:15 pm (2115 GMT).
The eight French nationals died along with two Argentine pilots on March 9 during the filming of reality show "Dropped" when two helicopters collided shortly after takeoff from the remote village of Villa Castelli in northwestern Argentina.
There were no survivors.
French Ambassador Jean-Michel Casa told AFP that embassy staff had observed a moment of silence before the bodies were repatriated.
"Dropped," which was to air on French channel TF1 but was immediately cancelled after the crash, featured sports stars who were taken blindfolded into rugged environments and given 72 hours to get to a place where they could charge a mobile phone.
Initial investigations indicate the crash was caused by human error, officials say.
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