Cows swept away by floods Storms with heavy flooding in parts of France
Some places in France have experienced rainfall on a scale not seen for a long time.
Image: Keystone
Around 1500 firefighters are working in the affected region.
Image: Keystone
Heavy rainfall is causing flooding in parts of France.
Image: Keystone
Some places in France have experienced rainfall on a scale not seen for a long time.
Image: Keystone
Around 1500 firefighters are working in the affected region.
Image: Keystone
Heavy rainfall is causing flooding in parts of France.
Image: Keystone
Large amounts of rain are causing flooding in France. The authorities are urging residents to exercise caution. The minister responsible speaks of an "unprecedented situation".
17.10.2024, 19:30
17.10.2024, 19:55
dpa
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- Heavy rain is currently causing flooding in France.
- The weather service Météo France issued the highest warning level red for six departments in the southern half of the country.
- "We are dealing with a situation that is unprecedented in its scale", said the Minister for Ecological Transition, Agnès Pannier-Runacher.
In parts of France, large amounts of rain are causing flooding, evacuations and closed highways and railroad lines. The weather service Météo France issued the highest warning level of red for six departments in the southern half of the country and orange in 34 departments. In the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region, around 900 people had to be evacuated and television footage showed flooded highways, supermarkets and cars floating in the water.
The highway and the railroad line between Lyon and Saint-Étienne were interrupted. The state railroad SNCF announced that no trains would be able to run between the two cities for several days. The highway operator Vinci Autoroutes warned in the evening of possible disruptions on over 30 French highways.
In the town of Annonay in the Ardèche, some roads were closed due to flooding or landslides, according to "Le Monde". Cows were also swept away by the floods in Haute-Loire.
Hundreds of firefighters were deployed and sirens sounded in several towns. No people were initially injured. However, the authorities issued an urgent warning against entering flooded areas on foot or by car.
47 people still trapped in supermarket
Following the flooding of a supermarket in the town of Givors on the Rhone, in which 47 people were still trapped in the evening, the Carrefour supermarket chain closed more of its stores in Nice, Cannes, Monaco and Antibes as a precautionary measure. According to Carrefour managing director Alexandre Bompard, 39 employees as well as 8 customers and employees of other stores were still on the upper floor of the flooded supermarket. The fire department is checking when an evacuation is possible.
"We are dealing with a situation that is unprecedented in its scale," said Agnès Pannier-Runacher, Minister for Ecological Transition. Locally, 60 centimetres of precipitation had fallen within 48 hours, which was "absolutely massive". "This has not happened in living memory." The minister warned: "We are collectively confronted with episodes that are related to climate change and that we will experience more and more regularly, we have to prepare for them." A crisis team has been set up at the ministry. All relevant services are being mobilized, it said.