TWO KILLED, 24 MISSING AS HEAVY RAIN BRINGS SEVERE FLOODS TO ITALY, FRANCE

Flooding from record rains in the mountainous region that spans France and Italy killed two people in Italy and left at least 24 people in the two countries missing Saturday.

A storm that moved overnight across southeastern France and then northern Italy caused major flooding on both sides of the border, destroying bridges, blocking roads and isolating communities.

In Italy, a firefighter was killed during a rescue operation in the mountainous northern region of Val d’aosta. Another body was found in Vercelli province, near where a man had been swept away by flood waters late Friday.

A total of 16 people were reported missing in Italy, all but one travelers in cars on the Col de Tende high mountain pass between France and Italy, according to civil protection authorities.

The spokesman for Italy’s firefighters said a search was ongoing for a missing shepherd who was pulled into floodwaters on Col de Tende. His brother managed to grab onto a tree and was saved, while authorities were searching on the French side for the shepherd.

Firefighter spokesman Luca Cari said he suspects the other people reported missing in Italy have lost phone contact, but at the moment they are not thought to be in imminent danger.

Unrelenting rainfall overnight hit levels not seen since 1958 in northern Italy’s Piedmont region, where as much as 24.8 inches of rain fell in a 24-hour period, according to the Italian civil protection agency.

On the other side of the border, in southeastern France, almost a year’s average rainfall fell in less than 12 hours in the mountainous area surrounding the city of Nice. Nice mayor Christian Estrosi said more than 100 homes were destroyed or severely damaged in the area.

French Prime Minister Jean Castex, who flew over the area in an helicopter, confirmed that at least eight people were missing, including two firefighters whose vehicle was carried away by water when the road collapsed during a rescue operation.

Rescue efforts included 871 personnel working on the ground, as well as military helicopters and troops helping with emergency assistance, Castex said.

France’s national weather agency, Meteo France, said that up to 19.7 inches were recorded in some areas, the equivalent of almost one year of average rainfall.

FEDERICO SCOPPA AFP VIA GETTY IMAGES A bulldozer clears the mud near a collapsed walkway by the Roya River in Ventimiglia, Italy, on Saturday after heavy rain caused flooding that have submerged the city with water and mud.