France's defense minister promised Tuesday to investigate whether five Foreign Legion troops killed in an avalanche took unnecessary risks, as an expert warned that an unusually mild autumn was causing a spate of deadly snowslides, AFP reports.
A Frenchman, Italian, Nepalese, Moldovian and Albanian were killed in the French Alps avalanche, their diverse origins typical of the storied military branch - historically seen as offering misfits and troublemakers a second chance in life.
Another eight soldiers were injured as the group was swept away during a training exercise near the resort of Valfrejus, some 60 kilometers south of Albertville, the host city of the 1992 Winter Olympics.