Updated

The French army says that two military training helicopters have crashed in southern France, killing at least three people.

A spokeswoman for the French army said the crash occurred Friday near the town of Brignoles, in the Var region between Marseilles and Cannes.

The spokeswoman said that a search and rescue operation is underway, but couldn't say how many people were aboard the helicopters or provide other details. She wasn't authorized to be publicly named.

The top government official in the region, Prefect Jean-Luc Videlaine, said on BFM television that four were killed and a search is underway for another person. He said it's not clear whether the crashes were the result of a collision.