THREE people have died and two people are missing after heavy rains and thunderstorms have battered southern France.
Heavy rainfalls have inundated whole streets, leading to power and water outages and significant devastation, while hundreds of rescuers have hurried to the area, renowned for experiencing 300 days of sunshine.
The rainfall hit Var – a region located in the southeast of France and part of the French Riviera – on Tuesday.
A couple in their eighties died after their car was swept away by floodwaters in the seaside town of Le Lavandou, France 24 reported.
The woman’s body was found trapped inside the wreck, a public prosecutor in Toulon told AFP.
A third person drowned in their vehicle in the commune of Vidauban, according to the gendarmerie.
A local official pulled the driver out of her vehicle but the passenger inside could not be saved.
Both French communes were among the worst-affected by the storms, with Gil Bernardi, mayor of Le Lavandou, describing “scenes of war” left behind.
Bernardi said: “It was a really violent, vicious, incomprehensible phenomenon.”
He added: “The roads, the bridges, the paving stones, there is no more electricity, water, or wastewater treatment plant.
“The shock is significant because the phenomenon is truly violent and incomprehensible.
“As we speak, an entire part of the commune is inaccessible.”
There were reportedly power and water outages in the town of Cavaliere where 250mm fell in the space of one hour.
A parking lot also collapsed in the town, leading to dozens of people being rescued by authorities.
Around 200 firefighters and 35 gendarmes have reportedly been deployed in Var.
The total rainfall exceeded 10cm as of 10am local time, according to Meteo-France.
The weather agency placed the region under an orange alert for rain, flooding and thunderstorms.
A day earlier, hailstorms and heavy rain hit southwestern France, causing destruction.
The rainfall flooded homes, damaged railway tracks and forced hundreds aboard a high-speed TGV train to evacuate in the middle of the night.
The train’s track had reportedly become dislodged after rainfall caused the ground to subside.
It comes as parts of southern and southeastern Spain were hit by major storms last week.
Almería, Murcia, Granada, parts of the Costa Blanca and the popular British hotspot of Benidorm were among the regions battered by the storms.
In a village in Murcia, 37 litres of rain per square metre reportedly fell in just 30 minutes, causing sudden flash floods.
