Argentina judge to start taking testimony in reality TV crash

An Argentine judge was to start taking testimony today as five French gendarmes flew in to investigate the helicopter crash that killed 10 people during a reality TV shoot, including three top French athletes.
There were no survivors in the deadly collision between two helicopters in a remote, mountainous area of northwest Argentina where the reality series "Dropped" was being filmed.
The judge assigned to the case, Daniel Herrera, said he would start by questioning other people involved in the production and that they could then return home in 48 hours.
Four French sports stars who were not on board the helicopters and dozens of TV crew members have been holed up at a hotel in the small town of Villa Union, waiting to testify in the inquiry and return home to their families.

The five officers from France's gendarmerie police force will join their Argentine counterparts, who are still combing through the charred wreckage of the two helicopters and working to identify the bodies.
Two of the officers are aviation experts who will investigate the crash along with Argentine officials and the French air accident investigation authority, the BEA.

The other three are forensic experts who will help identify the badly burned bodies of the victims.
"It is tough because the bodies are burned beyond recognition," said Herrera.
The judge said he will speak to the cast and crew of the show who were not involved in the crash, which was the deadliest in the history of reality TV.

He will first of all "explain the process to them and try to ease their worries," he said.
"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.
Monday's twin helicopter crash killed Olympic champion swimmer Camille Muffat, renowned yachtswoman Florence Arthaud and Olympic boxer Alexis Vastine, as well as five French television crew members and two Argentine pilots.
Initial investigations indicate the crash was caused by human error, said Roberto Ludenas, spokesman for the provincial government.

The two six-seater Eurocopters, built in 2010, "were in excellent condition," he told AFP.
Arthaud's brother told French newspaper Nice-Matin that she would be buried on Sainte-Marguerite, a Mediterranean island off the coast of Cannes.
Arthaud, 57, was considered one of the best sailors in the world, conquering what had been a male-dominated sport. Her titles included the 1990 Route du Rhum, the most prestigious transatlantic solo race.