A French army helicopter with 10 soldiers on board has crashed into the sea off the Gabon coast while conducting a bilateral military exercise, the French president's office said today.
"The President has asked that all means available in the area be used to find the soldiers who were on board," said the statement from President Nicolas Sarkozy's office.
Mr Sarkozy also asked French Defence Minister Herve Morin to go to the scene.
No further information was immediately available.
