ISLAMABAD – Three emergency workers were killed in a helicopter crash nearMarseille while on a rescue mission in southern France where floods haveleft two dead, officials said Monday.
Their EC145 helicopter lost radio and radar contact while on a rescue andreconnaissance flight in the Var region Sunday night.
The three were found dead at 1:30 am near the town of Rove, InteriorMinister Christophe Castaner and his secretary of state Laurent Nunez saidin a statement.
An investigation was under way to determine the circumstances of the crash.
“While France is preparing today to pay tribute to 13 of its soldiers whodied serving it (in Mali), our country is losing three everyday heroes whogave their lives to protect the French,” Castaner and Nunez said.
Two people were killed on Sunday by the floods in the French Riviera, whichhas been hit by fresh torrential rains a week after extreme weather leftsix dead.
In the Var region, a shepherd was swept away as he was trying to cross aford in his 4×4 while tending to his flock. His body was found in hisvehicle late Sunday night 300 metres (330 yards) downstream from where hewas last seen, the prefecture said early Monday.
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Elsewhere in the region, the owner of a stables was found dead two hoursafter he was also washed away while out watching over his animals, it said.
The Var and the neighbouring Alpes-Maritimes region were on red alert forfloods which disrupted train services and cut the A8 motorway for fourhours Sunday evening.
Many cultural and sporting events were also called off due to the badweather, including Paris Saint-Germain’s Ligue 1 match at Monaco.
During the previous weekend, heavy rains caused the deaths of six people inthe Var. -APP/AFP
