A French Gendarmerie helicopter crashed Sunday afternoon in the Loiret during an operational mission, killing one and injuring two gendarmes on board.
The aircraft, on a search mission for a missing person, crashed in the commune of Sully-sur-Loire in the Bray-Saint-Aignan forest. The three service members on board were Adjudant Dorian Larigaudrie, who died at the scene, along with the pilot and mechanic, who were evacuated conscious to the Orléans University Hospital. Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez expressed his sadness on X, saluting the commitment of the military personnel and offering condolences to the family of Adjudant Larigaudrie. The Loiret Prefecture stated that a judicial investigation has been opened to determine the circumstances of the accident. Significant resources were deployed on site, including 48 firefighters and 36 vehicles, as well as a firefighters’ drone and a SAMU helicopter. A medico-psychological emergency unit was opened at the Châteauneuf-sur-Loire brigade.
