PARIS, Nov. 27 (Xinhuanet) -- Five homeless people were killed in the latest winter chill in France, local reports said on Sunday.

    The government has raised winter rescue plan to the second level, which is usually launched when the temperature falls to between -5 and -10 centigrade at night and is negative in daytime,by providing further shelters and strengthening rescue teams.

    French meteorological authority lifted the weather alert Sundayafter raising the alert to its orange level on Saturday when a snow up to 20 cm deep hit the entire country on Friday and Saturday.

    The snow troubled highways, cut electricity in 17,000 houses and forced the closing of the famous Eiffel Tower in Paris and the Normandy bridge. Enditem