PARIS, Feb. 2 (Xinhua) -- French President Emmanuel Macron on Friday confirmed that five people were killed in the crash of two army helicopters in French southern department of Var.

In a statement issued by his office, Macron said five army pilots were killed "following an accident during a training flight in the region Luc-en-Provence in the Var."

Expressing "great emotion," the head of state sent condolences to the victims' families and expressed "the nation's full solidarity in these painful circumstances."

Two helicopters from the Army Light Aviation School crashed early Friday at around 08:30 local time (0730 GMT) nearby the Carces Lake.

The cause of the crash was not immediately identified.

On her tweeter account, French Defense Minister Florence Parly expressed her "strong emotion after the tragic accident", paying tribute to the killed soldiers.

She was scheduled to visit the accident's site in the afternoon.