(Adds comment from TV channel, details)
By Jorge Otaola and Jean-Philippe Lefief
BUENOS AIRES/PARIS, March 10 (Reuters) - Eight French
nationals including celebrity yachtswoman Florence Arthaud,
Olympic swimmer Camille Muffat and boxer Alexis Vastine were
among 10 killed when two helicopters collided in Argentina on
Monday while filming a French reality TV show.
The accident happened in the rugged western province of La
Rioja near the Andes mountains, local authorities said, adding
that the cause was not currently known.
"The sudden death of our fellow French nationals is a cause
of immense sadness," a statement from French President Francois
Hollande's office in Paris said.
It added that several members of the ALP TV production
company involved in shooting the adventure show "Dropped" for
private TV station TF1 were among the dead.
TF1 issued a statement expressing sadness and solidarity for
the families of the victims. "Dropped" involves contestants
being left in the wilderness and having to use their skills to
find their way back to civilisation.
Arthaud, 57, was one of the first women to carve a place for
herself in the world of sailing and in 1990 secured the record
for the fastest solitary crossing of the North Atlantic,
according to her publisher's site.
Muffat, 25, won 400 metres freestyle gold at the 2012 London
Olympics. Vastine, 28, won bronze at the Beijing 2008 Olympics.
"I am sad for my friends, I'm shaking, I'm horrified, I
can't find the words," Tweeted Sylvain Wiltord, ex-footballer
for English Premier League club Arsenal and fellow cast member.
The victims included the helicopters' two pilots, Cesar
Angulo, La Rioja's security chief, told reporters earlier.
"There were no survivors, according to the information we
have," Angulo said.
Argentina's official news agency Telam said one of the
helicopters belonged to the provincial government and the other
to organizers of a survival competition that had been held for
three years near the village of Villa Castelli.
(Writing and additional reporting by Mark John and Hugh
Bronstein; Editing by Jeremy Laurence)