Sunday 4 October 2015

13 killed in French floods


Violent storms and flooding have hit southeast France, killing at least 13 people with six more missing, officials said.


Three elderly people drowned when their retirement home near the city of Antibes was inundated with floodwater, the BBC reports.


Another three people died when the car they were in became trapped by rising water in a small tunnel.


French President Francois Hollande has thanked rescuers and expressed the “solidarity of the nation.”


He and Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve are due to visit the affected regions.


Heavy rain hit the French Riviera, which lies on the Mediterranean coast and borders Italy, on Saturday evening.


The city of Nice is estimated to have received 10 per cent of its average yearly rainfall in two days alone.


The river Brague burst its banks, sending water coursing into nearby towns and cities. Social media pictures showed water gushing down the streets of Cannes.


“Some cars were carried off into the sea,” said mayor Davis Lisnard.


“We have rescued a lot of people, and we must now be vigilant against looting.”


Rescuers at Mandelieu-la-Napoule are trying to find six people missing in underground car parks, emergency officials said.





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