One dead, 300,000 without power in France after heavy snowfall
- Up to 30 centimetres of snow had fallen at higher elevations near the Alps in less than 24 hours, and 15 centimetres was reported at the Lyon airport
A 63-year-old man was killed on Thursday evening in the Isere department after a snow-laden tree fell on him while he was trying to clear away another downed tree, local officials said.
Grid operator Enedis said 300,000 homes were without electricity on Friday, mainly in the Drome, Ardeche, Isere and Rhone departments, which include the cities of Lyon and Grenoble, a spokesman told BFM television.
“It’s an exceptional situation because the snow is heavily concentrated in a single area, which is why we have significant damage to our power lines,” said the spokesman, Robin Devogelaere.
“We’ve had trees knocked down, and branches weighed down with snow have frozen and caused short-circuits,” he said, adding that treacherous roads were making it hard for teams to reach and fix the cables.
