French soldiers killed in Alps avalanche near Valfrejus

Five French soldiers have been killed in an avalanche while on a training exercise in the Alps. The avalanche came down close to Valfrejus, not far from 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 in Les Deux Alpes, 124km (80 miles) away.

A teacher is now under investigation for manslaughter after he apparently led his pupils on to a closed ski run shortly before the avalanche. Heavy snow has fallen in the region recently.