The main A8 motorway was shut down along with flooded train stations.
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‘The FCO stands ready to provide consular assistance to any British nationals affected’.
In nearby Antibes, cars were overturned and roads were slick with mud. Social media pictures showed water gushing down the streets of Cannes. Government officials had given conflicting reports about casualty figures earlier in the day.
Henri Leroy, mayor of Mandelieu-la-Napoule, one of the affected towns, said: “It’s apocalyptic”. ‘There are thousands of vehicles. “There is likely to be more bodies”.
Reuters confirms that three people from a retirement home were drowned in the flooding in the village of Biot.
That is the equivalent of two months of rainfall for the region, local radio France Bleu-Azur reported.
French President Francois Hollande went to the region with Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve.
The flash floods were caused by Torrential rain striking the Alpes-Maritimes administrative region on Saturday, the region borders Italy, local towns including Cannes were flooded and transport routes were disrupted.
“The toll is not yet final”.
“There have always been catastrophes. But their rhythm and intensity are on the increase”, he said, urging that environmental “decisions be taken” as France prepares to host the UN-led Paris climate talks in December. ‘In these moments, we must be fast, efficient and co-ordinated’.
Shocked residents gave graphic accounts of the drama. Because if this was in fact going I realized would i let myself travel and travelling in the moisture. down there actually.
Rescue workers pumping water out of a garage in Mandelieu-la-Napoule, France, today.
In Nice, flights were briefly diverted away from city’s airport on Saturday evening and a few passengers remained held up there on Sunday morning, officials said. A clear-up operation is now underway and rail operator SNCF is struggling to get its services back to normal. “We have rescued a lot of people, and we must now be vigilant against looting”.
The AP noted that the iconic tourist area has seen an increasing amount of flooding in recent years – which has caused a few residents to criticize authorities for not doing more to prevent flood damage there.
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Flash flooding in and around the French Rivera has claimed at least 16 lives.
