Five French Foreign Legionnaires have been killed and six injured in an avalanche during a training exercise in the Alps, officials say.
Five French Foreign Legionnaires have been killed and six injured in an avalanche during a training exercise in the Alps, officials say.
BBC reports that the avalanche came down close to ski resort Valfrejus, near the Italian border, where some 50 soldiers were training off-piste. "Search dogs and helicopters immediately began looking for the soldiers. Last week, two school pupils and a Ukrainian tourist were killed by an avalanche", says BBC.
The mayor of Modane, the nearest town, Jean-Claude Raffin said when the avalanche hit the soldiers were out for an all-day backcountry skiing session. He said six people were injured, two of them seriously.
Julien Noel, director of Valfrejus, said the location where the avalanche came down is well-known for backcountry skiing and was not known as particularly dangerous. He added that the slopes were closed after the accident for safety. However, New York Daily News informs the avalanche risk has been high in the region, where fresh snow has fallen.
