The worst flooding in years in southern France has claimed five lives and forced more than 3,000 people to evacuate their homes, officials said on Sunday.
The latest victim was a 73-year-old man who died of heart failure in Rivesaltes, in the Pyrénées-Orientales region, while trying to force his car through a dip in a road that was flooded.
Along the banks of the Agly river in the same region, the government said about 2,800 people were evacuated by late afternoon on Sunday.
The flooding was considered more serious than the deadly overflows seen in 1999, with the government saying it would evacuate residents within 200m of the river. Another 560 people had already left their homes in Canet, Argelès-sur-Mer and Barcarès, on the Mediterranean coast.
The prime minister’s office said the flooding was “exceptional” but added the situation was under control.
“I’ve never seen anything like it,” said Kristel Gregori, 42, from Argelès, near the Massane river that often dries up but has turned into a 20 metre-wide torrent, leaving dozens of parked cars stranded.
“When neighbours woke us up at three o’clock, there was already a metre of water in the garage,” she added. “The water level has subsided since but the rain hasn’t stopped.”
The river Berre had also flooded, reaching a metre above the level seen during flooding in 1999 that left 35 people dead and one missing in the region. About 250 people fled Sigean, in low-lying land and lagoons just south of Narbonne.
The latest victim was a 73-year-old man who died of heart failure in Rivesaltes, in the Pyrénées-Orientales region, while trying to force his car through a dip in a road that was flooded.
Along the banks of the Agly river in the same region, the government said about 2,800 people were evacuated by late afternoon on Sunday.
The flooding was considered more serious than the deadly overflows seen in 1999, with the government saying it would evacuate residents within 200m of the river. Another 560 people had already left their homes in Canet, Argelès-sur-Mer and Barcarès, on the Mediterranean coast.
The prime minister’s office said the flooding was “exceptional” but added the situation was under control.
“I’ve never seen anything like it,” said Kristel Gregori, 42, from Argelès, near the Massane river that often dries up but has turned into a 20 metre-wide torrent, leaving dozens of parked cars stranded.
“When neighbours woke us up at three o’clock, there was already a metre of water in the garage,” she added. “The water level has subsided since but the rain hasn’t stopped.”
The river Berre had also flooded, reaching a metre above the level seen during flooding in 1999 that left 35 people dead and one missing in the region. About 250 people fled Sigean, in low-lying land and lagoons just south of Narbonne.
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