Savoie

Heavy snow has hit the Alps in recent days, with thousands of homes in the Savoie region of eastern France left without power.

Although snow is not uncommon in the Alps in April, the disruption left thousands of homes in the Savoie region of eastern France without power.

One torrent of snow came in Val-Cenis, in the south-eastern Savoie region, killing four Norwegian skiers, while a Swiss skier died further north in the Haute-Savoie region, near Chamonix.

The incident occurred at the Les Arcs resort in Savoie, south-eastern France.

In 1992 Mr Barnier took great pride in bringing the Winter Olympics to the Savoie – a feat that he said had taught him about working on big projects involving many people, while always keeping an eye on the prize.