Latest news with #Vidauban
Times
21-05-2025
- Climate
- Times
Southern France floods: three dead in ‘vicious' storm
At least three people have died in floods caused by torrential rain and storms that battered southern France this week. The bodies of a couple in their eighties were found in the Riviera resort of Le Lavandou and another person died after being trapped in a car further north in Vidauban. The couple tried to leave their home but were swept away when floodwater suddenly surged, local officials said. The other person who died was a passenger in a car that fell into a ditch after being driven on to a flooded country road. 'A local official tried to save the two people in the car but only succeeded in rescuing the driver,' said Claude Pianetti, the mayor of Vidauban. The storms flooded streets, left
The Sun
21-05-2025
- Climate
- The Sun
At least three dead as ‘truly violent' rainstorms flood holiday hotspot French Riviera turning towns in ‘warzones'
THREE people have died and two people are missing after heavy rains and thunderstorms have battered southern France. The rains have flooded entire streets, causing power and water outages and widespread destruction - as hundreds of rescuers have rushed to the region famous for seeing 300 days of sunshine. 6 6 6 The rainfall hit Var - a region located in the southeast of France and part of the French Riviera - on Tuesday. A couple in their eighties died after their car was swept away by floodwaters in the seaside town of Le Lavandou, France 24 reported. The woman's body was found trapped inside the wreck, an public prosecutor in Toulon told AFP. A third person drowned in their vehicle in the commune of Vidauban, according to the gendarmerie. A local official pulled the driver out of her vehicle but the passenger inside could not be saved. Both French communes were among the worst-affected by the storms, with Gil Bernardi, mayor of Le Lavandou, describing "scenes of war" left behind. Bernardi said: "It was a really violent, vicious, incomprehensible phenomenon." He added: "The roads, the bridges, the paving stones, there is no more electricity, water, or wastewater treatment plant. "The shock is significant because the phenomenon is truly violent and incomprehensible. "As we speak, an entire part of the commune is inaccessible." 6 There were reportedly power and water outages in the town of Cavaliere where 250mm fell in the space of one hour. A parking lot also collapsed in the town, leading to dozens of people being rescued by authorities. Around 200 firefighters and 35 gendarmes have reportedly been deployed in Var. The total rainfall exceeded 10cm as of 10am local time, according to Meteo-France. The weather agency placed the region under an orange alert for rain, flooding and thunderstorms. A day earlier, hailstorms and heavy rain hit southwestern France, causing destruction. The rainfall flooded homes, damaged railway tracks and forced hundreds aboard a high-speed TGV train to evacuate in the middle of the night. The train's track had reportedly become dislodged after rainfall caused the ground to subside. It comes as parts of southern and southeastern Spain were hit by major storms last week. Almería, Murcia, Granada, parts of the Costa Blanca and the popular British hotspot of Benidorm were among the regions battered by the storms. In a village in Murcia, 37 litres of rain per square metre reportedly fell in just 30 minutes, causing sudden flash floods. 6 6
Daily Mail
20-05-2025
- Climate
- Daily Mail
At least three dead as 'truly violent' rainstorms and floods ravage the French Riviera in 'natural disaster'
At least three people have died after rainstorms and floods have ravaged the French Riviera which has been labelled as a 'natural disaster'. The floods reportedly caused cars to be swept away by waters, roads and bridges destroyed which one official described as 'scenes of war' in southern F rance. An elderly couple died in the seaside town of Le Lavandou and one other person in the town of Vidauban, local authorities have confirmed. The couple's vehicle was swept away by floodwaters and the woman's body remained trapped inside the wreckage. Authorities have launched an investigation to establish the cause of death, and situation on the ground has been described as 'quite difficult'. Gil Bernardi, mayor of Le Lavandou, described 'scenes of war', 'roads torn up' and 'bridges torn down.' 'It was a really violent, vicious, incomprehensible phenomenon,' Bernardi told BFM television. 'There is nothing left, no electricity, no drinking water, no sewage treatment plant,' he added. In Vidauban, a local official pulled a driver from her vehicle but the passenger could not be saved. 'A driver and her passenger drove onto a country road that was completely submerged' and the car fell into a ditch, the mayor, Claude Pianetti, said on Facebook. The bad weather has caused homes to be flooded, damage to railways tracks and evacuation of hundreds of passengers aboard a high-speed TGV train in the middle of the night. The TGV, on its way from Toulouse to Paris late Monday, was on a track that became dislodged when the ground subsided because of the torrential rains. The train had to stop on the tracks overnight near the town of Tonneins, and the more than 500 passengers were evacuated by bus. According to the prefecture, the rescue operation involved dozens including firefighters, police and volunteers. The flooding in the south of France has also affected beaches such as this near Lavandou CATASTROPHE DANS LE VAR : Au moins 3 morts, un disparu et un blessé grave dans les inondations après les orages stationnaires. Des voitures ont été emportées par les eaux. Une partie de la commune du #Lavandou est coupée du monde. Des routes et des ponts sont détruits. "C'est du… — Infos Françaises (@InfosFrancaises) May 20, 2025 'We narrowly avoided a disaster, the tracks were exposed and the TGV was suspended,' the mayor of Tonneins, Dante Rinaudo, told AFP. Describing 'avalanches of water' in the town that flooded cellars and houses, he said the storms should be recognised by the government as a natural disaster. Another train travelling between Toulouse and Paris was also stranded overnight in Agen, and passengers were taken to Toulouse by bus on Tuesday morning. A spokesperson for the state rail operator SNCF said traffic would be suspended for 'at least several days' between Agen and Marmande in southwestern France, affecting TGV services between Bordeaux and Toulouse.
BBC News
20-05-2025
- Climate
- BBC News
Var floods: Three killed after floods ravage French Riviera region
At least three people have died in floods caused by heavy rainfall and storms which have battered southern France since bodies of an elderly couple were found in the seaside resort town of Le Lavandou, while another person died after becoming trapped in a car in Vidauban, local authorities reported on rains have caused widespread damage across the region, flooding streets and causing power and water outages. At least two regional trains stopped their journeys overnight after railway tracks were couple who died had tried to leave their home but were swept away, "surprised by the very rapid rise in water levels", the Toulon public prosecutor said. An investigation has been opened into their deaths."We are in shock at the scale of the natural disaster that struck the Cavalière district this morning," officials in Le Lavandou said. They said the town centre had been inundated by 256mm of rain in just an hour. The town, about 30km (18 miles) east of St Tropez, is a holidaying destination along the French Riviera. "It was a truly violent, nasty, incomprehensible phenomenon," said local mayor Gil Bernardi, describing "roads torn up" and "bridges broken apart".Le Lavandou was still suffering electricity and water outages on Tuesday and access had also been restricted as the town's main road remained officials further north in Vidauban said one person had died after the car they were in drove onto a flooded road and fell into a ditch. A passer-by tried to save both occupants - the driver and the passenger - but was only able to rescue the driver, Vidauban's town mayor Claude Pianetti than 500 calls have been made to emergency services in the Var region over the past day, authorities said. Several hundred emergency rescuers have also been deployed to the region, including from nearby cities like was placed on further emergency warnings for thunderstorms and flooding on Tuesday morning, but these were later downgraded to the lowest than 600 homes remain without electricity, local authorities said rains and hailstorms had struck south-west France on Monday night. The Bordeaux-Toulouse railway line has been affected with some trains on the route cancelled for the next few days.
