Heavy rainfall leads to tragic events and emergency response efforts in affected regions.
**Destruction on the French Riviera as Floods Claim Lives**
**Destruction on the French Riviera as Floods Claim Lives**
Severe storms result in fatalities and extensive damage in southern France.
At least three lives have been lost due to catastrophic floods that have swept through southern France, particularly affecting the French Riviera, since Monday. Local authorities confirmed that the bodies of an elderly couple were recovered in the popular resort town of Le Lavandou, while another individual tragically died after getting trapped in their car in Vidauban.
The heavy torrents have wreaked havoc, inundating streets, disrupting power, and causing water outages across the impacted areas. Compounding the chaos, two regional trains were halted overnight after severe damage to railway tracks was reported.
The elderly couple, who were trapped while attempting to evacuate their home, were caught off-guard by the sudden rise in water levels. “The rapid escalation of the floods took everyone by surprise,” the Toulon public prosecutor explained. An investigation into their deaths is currently underway.
"Words can't express the shock we feel from the devastation that struck the Cavalière district this morning," officials in Le Lavandou lamented. Remarkably, their town witnessed an astonishing 256mm of rain in an hour. Situated about 30 kilometers (18 miles) east of St. Tropez, Le Lavandou, a popular vacation destination, has been described by Mayor Gil Bernardi as experiencing "a truly violent, nasty, incomprehensible phenomenon," highlighting the destruction of roads and bridges.
As of Tuesday, Le Lavandou was still dealing with major power and water outages, while access remained limited due to flooding on its main road. In Vidauban, the car incident resulted in one fatality after it drove onto a submerged roadway and ended up in a ditch. Despite a passer-by's efforts to rescue the occupants, only the driver could be saved, according to Vidauban's mayor, Claude Pianetti.
In the last 24 hours, emergency services in the Var region have received over 500 distress calls, leading to the deployment of hundreds of rescuers from nearby cities such as Cannes. Although Var was issued new weather warnings for thunderstorms and flooding, they were later downgraded to a lesser alert level. As of the latest updates, more than 600 homes remained without power, and the heavy rains have also disrupted the Bordeaux-Toulouse railway line, leading to cancellations for several days ahead.
The heavy torrents have wreaked havoc, inundating streets, disrupting power, and causing water outages across the impacted areas. Compounding the chaos, two regional trains were halted overnight after severe damage to railway tracks was reported.
The elderly couple, who were trapped while attempting to evacuate their home, were caught off-guard by the sudden rise in water levels. “The rapid escalation of the floods took everyone by surprise,” the Toulon public prosecutor explained. An investigation into their deaths is currently underway.
"Words can't express the shock we feel from the devastation that struck the Cavalière district this morning," officials in Le Lavandou lamented. Remarkably, their town witnessed an astonishing 256mm of rain in an hour. Situated about 30 kilometers (18 miles) east of St. Tropez, Le Lavandou, a popular vacation destination, has been described by Mayor Gil Bernardi as experiencing "a truly violent, nasty, incomprehensible phenomenon," highlighting the destruction of roads and bridges.
As of Tuesday, Le Lavandou was still dealing with major power and water outages, while access remained limited due to flooding on its main road. In Vidauban, the car incident resulted in one fatality after it drove onto a submerged roadway and ended up in a ditch. Despite a passer-by's efforts to rescue the occupants, only the driver could be saved, according to Vidauban's mayor, Claude Pianetti.
In the last 24 hours, emergency services in the Var region have received over 500 distress calls, leading to the deployment of hundreds of rescuers from nearby cities such as Cannes. Although Var was issued new weather warnings for thunderstorms and flooding, they were later downgraded to a lesser alert level. As of the latest updates, more than 600 homes remained without power, and the heavy rains have also disrupted the Bordeaux-Toulouse railway line, leading to cancellations for several days ahead.
