Around 19:40, during the maneuver to prepare for the engagement of the enemy, the Cougar helicopter and a Tiger collided, crashing close to each other. None of the embarked soldiers survived.
A rescue and safety operation of the accident zone is underway. Many ways of the Barkhane force are still engaged.
Thirteen soldiers died in combat are the two Tiger crew members of the 5th Combat Helicopter Regiment (5th RHC), the five crew members of the Cougar (5 th RHC also), four operators of the Group commandos mountain ( GCM) of the 4th Fighter Regiment (4th RCH), a GCM operator of the 93rd Mountain Artillery Regiment (93rd RAM) and a GCM operator of the 2nd Foreign Regiment of Engineering (2nd REG).