Four people died in a helicopter accident at the French ski resort of Haute-Savoie on Tuesday, 19th February. The helicopter, owned by the private company Mont-Blanc Hélicopteres, crashed during an operation to rescue an injured Dutch skier.

The helicopter collided with a cable in high winds, narrowly missing a restaurant at the resort. Eye witnesses praised the pilot of the helicopter for averting greater tragedy by turning away from the restaurant. “The helicopter only just missed the establishment,” explained Claudine Descombes, the owner of the restaurant. “He (the pilot) must have sacrificed his life and those of his passengers to avert disaster because there was a lot of people on the terrace.”

Other eyewitnesses have said that the helicopter crashed 20-30 metres away from the building. Those killed in the accident were the pilot, a mechanic, the injured patient and a member of the ski patrol.

No names have been released yet, pending an investigation by the air transport section of the gendarmerie to determine the cause of the accident.

A spokesperson for Mont-Blanc Hélicopteres declined to comment until the investigation is complete.