European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - December 23, 1991, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Page 8 b the stars and stripes monday december 23,1991 Avalanche in French Alps kills 2 near olympic site Albertville France apr two people died when an Avalanche buried their chalet sunday in the Region that will Host next months Winter olympics and 7,000 Christmas vacationers were stranded by heavy Rains and Snow. Police in Albertville said the chalet built at 6,500 feet in the Village of la Plagne was buried Early sunday morning following an overnight snowfall that dumped 5 to 6vz feet in the French Alps. The identities of the victims were not immediately available. Another Avalanche in the same area smashed in the windows of a vacation apartment building killing a 39-year-old Man and injuring his two children police said. A the situation in the Northern Alps is worrisome a the Savoie regional government said sunday. It urged people to stay away until the situation stabilized. The Avalanche conditions were spawned by a sudden heavy snowfall late saturday followed by driving Rains and slightly warmer temperatures Early sunday the regional weather service said. The Rains also caused the Rhone River and other Mountain Waterways to Rise to Levels unusual for this time of year they noted. _ the mayor of the Village of am Drieu in Bugey was hit by a train and killed sunday morning while he and a municipal team were surveying a rising River that threatened to flood nearby Homes. In the ski resort of Val dts re another Avalanche buried a hotel slightly injuring three people police said. About 80 Rescue workers dug out the three guests of the Chamois do or hotel who were treated on the spot and released. A fourth person dug himself out of the Snow follow ing the 9 45 . Avalanche. Neither the identities nor nationalities of the guests was available. More than 20 Alpine ski stations including several olympic Sites were Cut off by the Snow that made Mountain roads impassable. Regional authorities closed All roads leading to the ski stations of Val do Indre tines la Plagne arc Val Morel Val Frejus and other towns. Authorities requisitioned hotel rooms in Bourg Saint Maurice Albertville Cham Bidy and elsewhere to Lodge More than 3,000 stranded Christmas vacationers. An estimated 4,000 other people arriving in the Savoie Region by car and train were forced to stay in temporary shelter offered by villages in the Region until weather conditions unproved and roads reopened. Most of the vacationers were housed in schools and gyms where they received food and warm drinks. The weather service said the rain would Lessen by sunday afternoon but Avalanche conditions would continue. The French National railway discontinued service sunday coniing to the valleys of Tare Taise and Mau Rienne leaving about 2,500 travellers stranded in trains stations from Cham dry to Bourg. Five Hundred people in and around the Mountain Village of Elaine were evacuated by the gendarmerie to a local theatre because of threats of avalanches. A workers in Elaine and Many other parts of the Savoie Region set off Small dynamite charges to cause overhangs of Snow to Tumble onto roadways where they could be cleared. Across the nearby Border in Switzerland a mudslide triggered by heavy Rains buried a House in the Swiss Alps killing two people. World dogs help Rome police sniff out cocaine Cache from wire reports Rome a a pair of drug sniffing dogs led police to the largest seizure of pure cocaine Ever recorded at Rome s Fiumicini Airport officials said sunday. Police said they confiscated 145 pounds of the drug saturday after a pair of German Shepherd dogs used to sniff out narcotics Drew attention to a pair of wooden boxes which had arrived on a flight from Bolivia to Beirut Lebanon.8 die in factory blast Tokyo a a tank at an edible Oil factory in the Western City of Osaka exploded and burned sunday killing eight workers who were inspecting it police and fire officials said. Nine workers were inspecting the 49-foot-High tank at Fuji Oil co., a leading japanese manufacturer of edible Oil and fat said a fire official who spoke on condition of anonymity. The ninth worker was unhurt the official said. The cause of the explosion was not immediately  rattles islands a Strong earthquake rumbled through the sparsely populated Kuril islands on sunday the latest in a series of temblor in the area this month. The earthquakes epicentre was 900 Miles Northeast of Tokyo said Pat Jorgenson spokeswoman for the . Geological Survey in Menlo Park Calif. Jorgenson said there were no reports of damage or injuries from the three quakes. Mountain fever grips Germany the autobahn Between Munich Germany and Salzburg Austria was packed with vehicles saturday As thousands of people left Home to Start their Christmas Holiday vacation. Many of the motorists were heading to Alpine ski resorts. Traffic jams on some autobahn in Germany were reported to be More than 90 Miles  army snatched wrong men papers say Jerusalem up a two israeli newspapers sunday quoted High ranking military sources As saying the army had botched a weekend operation in which three lebanese civilians were kidnapped and brought to Israel for interrogation. Israel foreign minister David Levy nevertheless defended the abductions As a a National duty of  army chief of staff it. Gen. Ehud Barak said the move was designed to a sabotage terrorist  the two lebanese journalists and a Shepherd were kidnapped Friday in the Jib Sheet area six Miles North of israelis self declared a Security zone but freed Over the weekend after Brief questioning in Israel. They were handed Over to red Cross officials in Southern Lebanon. The commando operation got the wrong men the Anonymous military source alleged sunday. The civilians were m Staken y captured instead of Hezbollah guerrilla leaders who were expected to be meeting in the area. A the kidnapping of three totally unimportant people shows the israeli defense orces intelligence information was faulty a the source told a Aretz newspaper. An official from the defense ministry also criticized the abductions As a sheer stupidity a in Light of delicate ongoing negotiations Over a prisoner Exchange. Four israeli servicemen Are believed missing in Lebanon while Israel holds hundreds of lebanese prisoners including Hezbollah spiritual Leader sheikh Abdul Karim Obeid. A whoever was responsible for the operation in the midst of the prisoner negotiations process should be fired a the unnamed source told the Jerusalem Post newspaper sunday. Levy however defended the action. A the War against the terrorists continues a Levy said. A they want to harm our Security to murder to destroy and also to sabotage the  Aasu Iago me peace Florence May ban private cars for month to ease pollution it or Peri Smi Florence Italy up a cite officials and technical erts met in Ecret sunday to work out details of a controversial plan to ban All private cars from if  during Jana in an Effort they hoped would ease its choking pollution problems. Weekend Byum or bloi1rionra?ver the Cata tic converters plus taxis a Ake effect tent Silum Eskra would be banned for the Sti private traffic will be banned from the entire municipal area for seven hours each Day. The controversial decision has already political fire from opponents in inc five Nartu Nali Itan the five party coalition which governs the City of 500,000 a Home to some of the Western worlds greatest Art treasures including Michelangelo a statue Davie a this proposal by the mayor Selt More like a provocation than a Seri and credible plan a said opposition so Democrat Grazioni com. Under the plan All cars except those equipped with environment Fric by catalytic converters if a buses would be banned u for a month starting Jan. 2. Italian cities have been plagued by rious air pollution in recent years. The proposed ban in Florence is first sweeping attempt to Deal with Auto problem in a City where the nun of cars doubles to around 560,000 t working Day As commuters drive in f the suburbs and surrounding towns