A helicopter has crashed into the garden of a restaurant in southern France, killing three people and severely injuring a fourth.

The Alouette 2 helicopter crashed at the Chez Bob restaurant on a road between Salin-de-Giraud and Arles in the Camargue region.

Two of the dead were decapitated while the injured woman had her leg severed, rescuers said.

The four people on board the helicopter were unhurt.

In shock

Police sources told Reuters news agency the helicopter was carrying guests who had been at a lunch at the restaurant.

Their dining companions had walked up the garden to bid them farewell when the helicopter came down, the sources said.

Two of the dead were parents. Their five-year-old daughter was at the scene but was unhurt.

A witness told AFP news agency: "The pilot is very shocked. He explained that the helicopter seemed to fail and he was unable to steady it."

Good to see the press going overboard with the completely unnecessary detail about the decapitations of two of the victims. Do we really need to know?

Scum, and this is the BBC...