PARIS, Nov 2 (Reuters) - France's army never had any visual or physical contact with the gunmen who killed two French journalists in northern Mali on Saturday, an army official said.
Armed Forces spokesman Colonel Gilles Jarron said the bodies of the two reporters had been found by a French patrol some 10 kms (6 miles) to the east of Kidal after they were tipped off by a local resident that the journalists had been taken.
Two French helicopters arrived on the scene 50 minutes after the patrol found their bodies, he said. Earlier, several French media reports said a French helicopter had tracked the kidnappers's vehicles after the abduction.
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