PARIS, Jan. 18 (Xinhua) -- One soldier was killed, three survived, and six others were still missing in a French helicopter crash off the Gabon coast, the armed forces headquarters in Paris said early Sunday.

    Two of the survivors were injured, said the army.

    The accident occurred during a joint military drill between France and Gabon in west Africa.

    French President Nicolas Sarkozy has ordered Defense Minister Herve Morin to immediately go to the scene.

French helicopter crashes off Gabon coast with 10 aboard

    PARIS, Jan. 18 (Xinhua) -- A French army helicopter with 10 soldiers aboard crashed into the sea off the Gabon coast during a bilateral military drill, the French presidency said Saturday.

    "The head of state has asked that all available means in the area be immediately deployed to find the soldiers who were aboard," it said in a statement.

    President Nicolas Sarkozy has ordered Defense Minister Herve Morin to immediately go to the scene.