ADELAIDE, Australia — All four people in a French helicopter that crashed in rough weather in Antarctica were confirmed dead today, Australian and French rescuers said.

Another helicopter from the Dumont-d'Urville scientific station in Antarctica flew to the site of the crashed aircraft and a doctor on board confirmed the deaths, the Australian Maritime Safety Authority said in a statement.

The helicopter crashed Thursday night and its distress beacon was activated about 62 miles from Dumont-d'Urville. Heavy clouds obscuring visibility prevented searches by helicopter, so a U.S. Air Force C-17 and an Australian air force plane flew over the site.

The Australian plane spotted what appeared to be three bodies Friday evening and dropped survival equipment in case there were any survivors.

Those aircraft carried four French citizens — a pilot, a mechanic and two employees of the French Polar Institute, a state-run research center.