Four French marines were injured as a result of an accident involving a helicopter on an assault ship in the North Sea, France's armed forces announced Friday. The accident occurred approximately 70 nautical miles (about 130 kilometers) off the coast of Dunkirk on Wednesday night, as the military stated on Twitter.
According to them, the accident took place when the combat helicopter attempted to take off from the ship Dixmude for a training flight. This led to the injuries among the Navy's personnel: one seriously wounded military man was initially treated on the ship's hospital and then transferred to a military hospital. The helicopter crew was unharmed.
As the military specified, an investigation has been initiated into the reasons behind the accident.