Flash Floods Claim Lives in the South of France

The weather turned on Saturday night, with the area rapidly receiving 10% of its annual average rainfall in just two days. The Brague river burst its banks and sent extreme amounts of water coursing towards nearby residential areas. Within a matter of hours the Riveria towns west of Nice were under deluge, with torrents of water running down the streets and flooding buildings.

The BBC reports that 17 people have died in the storms so far and 4 are still reported missing. 500 tourists sought shelter at Nice airport overnight, trains have been brought to a standstill and roads are covered in debris and thick mud.

In Cannes people have been trapped in underground car parks as the flood waters rose, others have been killed as vehicles were swept into the sea. In Biot, a small village near Antibes, three elderly people were drowned when they were unable to escape their flooded retirement home.

The floods appear to be extremely localised with towns to the east of Nice remaining largely unaffected.

President François Hollande has released a statement thanking rescuers but urging caution as the region is now in a state of "natural disaster" and there may be more to come, although it looks as though the worst of the weather has passed over the French mainland and is now heading towards the Italian coast