Italy: Helicopter, plane crash death toll rises to 7

By Senhan Bolelli

MADRID

Death toll has risen to seven from Friday's midair collision between a tourist airplane and a helicopter over the Italian Alps, according to Italian authorities on Saturday.

A Prosecutor's Office in Italy said the last two missing bodies were recovered, bringing the death toll to seven which includes French, Swedish and Italian nationals.

The crash also injured two people seriously.

On Friday, the two air vehicles crashed above the Rutor glacier in the Aosta Valley near France.

There were three individuals aboard tourist airplane and the helicopter was carrying six others, the office added.

According to local media, French pilot Philippe Michel -- one of the survivors -- did not inform the Italian authorities about the flight and planned to land on an iced area but collided, killing all six passengers aboard the helicopter.

The Italian prosecutors issued an arrest warrant for the critically injured French pilot for causing an accident by flying over Italian airspace without permission.