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PARIS (Reuters) – At least 13 people were killed in southwestern France during the worst floods of the century, local authorities said Monday.
Televised images showed muddy rivers, swollen by torrential rain, which had uprooted trees, spilled concrete pylons and swept cars in the southern region of Aude, near the medieval city of Carcassonne at the top of the river. A hill.
National Emergency Services spokesman Michael Bernier said 13 people had been killed and one person was still missing. Thousands of people were evacuated from the area, where officials said that up to seven months of rain had fallen overnight.
"The death toll is likely to increase," a spokesman for the Interior Ministry told BFM TV.
Seven helicopters were mobilized to remove people from the roofs of their homes, and the bad weather made the operations difficult, said the prefect of Aude, Alain Thirion.
"We have people stuck on the roofs. We will have to use planes to evacuate them because we can not reach them by boat because of the force of the water. It's too dangerous, "he said.
Prime Minister Edouard Philippe, who will visit the affected area on Monday, announced that 350 firefighters would participate in the relief efforts and 350 others would be hired.
"We are kept informed of the situation hour by hour," he said.
Among the most affected regions are the villages of Conques-sur-Orbiel and Villardonnel, where water rose to the height of the windows of the first floor of some houses. The region of Aude is a popular tourist destination with its ancient towns and villages in its mountain peaks that extend to the Mediterranean.
The flash floods hit without warning. At least one victim was swept away by the rushing waters while she slept, Thirion said.
Water levels are expected to continue to increase after more abundant rains. Schools were closed and residents were asked to stay at home.
The agency Vigicrues, which monitors water levels in France, said the floods were at a record level since 1891.
Torrential rains are not uncommon in France at this time of year, but meteorologists have said that unusually warm seawater along the Mediterranean coast could intensify rains.
The year so far is the hottest in France since 1900, according to the National Meteorological Service.
Report by Richard Lough, Simon Carraud and Brian Love; Edited by Louise Ireland
