Heavy snow has fallen across much of France, causing several deadly accidents and traffic delays. The weather bureau says there is more snow to come this weekend, reports RFI.
Local authorities say three soldiers on their way to join colleagues departing for the French military operation in Mali were killed in an accident in the Massif Central mountainous area in southern France overnight on Friday.
A Spanish couple also died in a crash involving a truck and 10 cars on a motorway in the same region.
Near the central city of Tours, a driver died in icy rain on a motorway after his car hit an emergency vehicle attending to a minor accident.
In Savoie, in the Alps, a coach transporting Russians overturned on a motorway access road, injuring 20 people, three of them seriously.
The French meteorology bureau, Météo France, has put 55 departments on alert.
It warns snow will continue to fall until the end of Sunday.
Read more of this report from RFI.