Their EC145 helicopter lost radio and radar contact while on a rescue and reconnaissance flight in the Var region on Sunday night. "While France is preparing today to pay tribute to 13 of its soldiers who died serving it (in Mali), our country is losing three everyday heroes who gave their lives to protect the French," Castaner and Nunez said. In the Var region, a shepherd was swept away as he was trying to cross a ford in his 4x4 while tending to his flock. Many cultural and sporting events were also called off due to the bad weather, including Paris Saint-Germain's Ligue 1 match at Monaco. During the previous weekend, heavy rains caused the deaths of six people in the Var.

Source: The Local December 02, 2019 07:18 UTC