Violent Storms Kills 19 People in French Riviera

[Meatpie]

[SUP]Apocalyptic scenes in Cannes today after heavy rain caused flash floods in the region.[/SUP]

Nineteen people are feared dead after violent storms and severe flooding swept the French Riviera, including three people who drowned in a retirement home after a river broke its banks.

Heavy flooding along the Côte d’Azur on Saturday saw the river Brague burst its banks close to the city of Antibes, flooding a home for elderly people.

At least seven people drowned after their cars became trapped in underground car parks, according to rescue teams in Mandelieu-la Napoule, with the commune’s mayor, Henri Leroy, warning more bodies may be found.

“It’s apocalyptic,” he told Agence France-Presse. “The parking was half-emptied but there are thousands of vehicles. There could be more bodies.”

Three people drowned when their car became stuck in rising waters inside a narrow tunnel near Vallauris Golfe-Juan, authorities said.
A woman in her 60s is reported to have died in the street in Cannes when huge storms hit the region on Saturday. Water and debris coursed down roads in the festival town and in the neighbouring city of Nice. Another victim was found dead at a campsite in Antibes, according to officials.

More than 17cm (6.7in) of rain fell on the Cannes region in two hours, radio France Bleu Azur reported.