Ten killed as south-west France is hit by worst flooding since 1891
Ten people died and at least five were seriously injured as floods hit an area of southern France popular with British tourists and expatriates.
The Aude department, home to the medieval fortress city of Carcassonne, had seven months’ worth of rainfall in one night, causing the worst floods in the area since 1891.
A nun was swept to her death by rising waters in the village of Villardonnel, where her convent was partially destroyed, and at least four people died overnight in Villegailhenc, according to local authorities.
A sixth person also died in Trebes and local authorities had raised the death toll to 10 by yesterday afternoon. ‘‘This is a temporary toll and as reconnaissance continues during rescue efforts, it is possible it could get worse,’’ said Edouard Philippe, France’s prime minister.
The threat of further flooding has not yet abated, according to Vigicrues, the French agency responsible for monitoring water levels. More than 1000 residents of the town of Pezens were evacuated amid fears that a dam might burst. Six helicopters were dispatched to help rescue people from rooftops but continuing poor weather hampered operations, Alain Thirion, the prefect of Aude, said.
‘‘We have people stranded on rooftops. We’re going to have to use aircraft to evacuate them because we cannot reach them by boat, given the force of the water. It’s too dangerous,’’ he said.
Torrential rain at this time of year is not uncommon in France but meteorologists have warned that exceptionally warm seawater along the Mediterranean coast may be fuelling this year’s floods.
This has been France’s hottest year since 1900, according to the state meteorological service.
The deaths came just days after intense rain led to flash floods in the Spanish holiday island of Majorca, killing 12 people including two Britons.
On Monday, near-hurricane winds hit Portugal, leaving hundreds of thousands of people without power, before carrying heavy rain on into Spain. Twenty-seven people suffered minor injuries.
– Telegraph Group