FILE PHOTO: A view shows the French aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle at the Naval base in Toulon, France, April 16, 2020. REUTERS/Eric Gaillard

PARIS (Reuters) - Some 940 of the 2,300-strong crew aboard the Charles De Gaulle aircraft carrier group have tested positive for COVID-19, the French Senate said in a statement on Friday, citing the military’s chief medical officer.

After a closed hearing with Maryline Gygax Genero, the Senate said that 500 crew from the carrier itself had shown symptoms of the illness.

The military has defended its handling of the spread of the coronavirus aboard its flagship aircraft carrier.