Deadly flash floods hit France and Italy

Deadly flash floods hit France and Italy

By Onlykhabar News Media Tue 6 October, 2020 ( about 5 years ago ) 🎤477 Viewersinternational

Heavy rains have caused flash floods in south-eastern France and north-western Italy, killing at least seven people on both sides of the border.

Storm Alex has destroyed dozens of houses and washed away roads in a mountainous border region near Nice. Coastal areas on the French Riviera were devastated, with long stretches of beaches littered with storm debris. On Monday, French officials said three more bodies had been found in villages north of Nice, bringing the death toll in the country to four. At least three people have been killed in Italy. Meanwhile, rescue workers stepped up their search efforts amid fears that up to 20 people were missing. 

Storm Alex, which brought fierce winds and torrential rain, then moved into northern Italy where record rainfall has also been seen. Nice and its surrounding area saw almost a year's rainfall in less than 12 hours over the weekend. A search is under way for eight people who were seen being dragged away by the flood waters. In France, around 1,000 firefighters were deployed along with helicopters and soldiers to the Alpes-Maritimes region. These included two firefighters whose vehicle was washed away when a road collapsed near the village of Saint-Martin-Vesubie, which was completely cut off by the storm. "My three-storey house, it's in the river," Sandra Dzidt, 62, told AFP news agency. "All I have left is a tiny piece of wall and a door."

In a number of French villages along the border, landslides covered roads and buildings in mud and cars were left buried in the slurry. In total, firefighters have rescued more than 500 people in Alpes-Maritimes with around 150 still needing to be evacuated. France has declared the region a natural disaster zone, and it was announced on Monday that President Emmanuel Macron would visit the area. In the rest of Piedmont, several villages were cut off after the rains made roads impassable. The situation there was described as "extremely critical" by officials. Landline and some mobile phone services have also been disrupted, leading to fears that more people are missing. Power outages have hit villages on both sides of the border and about 10,500 homes were left without electricity on Sunday, the French energy company Enedis said. 

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By Onlykhabar News Media Tue 6 October, 2020 🎤477 Viewersinternational
TAGS: Storm Alex France Flood Italy
Deadly flash floods hit France and Italy

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