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Huge rock crashes into French Alpine chalet, two children dead

A massive rock crashed into a chalet in the southeast French Alps on Sunday, killing two children and injuring five others, police said.

The mountain chalet destroyed by a rock in Isola, southern French Alps
The mountain chalet destroyed by a rock in Isola, southern French Alps AFP/Jean-Christophe Magnenet
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The children, aged seven and 10, were asleep at the time of the accident in the village of Isola in France's Alpes-Maritimes region.

A block of rock about 10 metres high came hurtling down on the chalet, which had been converted from a sheepfold, and was rented by the children's families for the school holidays, local gendarme official Gaël Marchand said.

Five adults were rescued and were found to have suffered light injuries.

About 60 paramedics and firefighters had been deployed in the rescue effort, aided by sniffer dogs.

Commander Marchand said the rock could have fallen due to having been weakened by heavy rains recently.

Heavy rains and consequent floods had cut off many roads in the area in January and the nearby Isola 2000 ski station was also shut down amid fears of an avalanche.
 

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