Flash floods in southeast France leave at least 18 dead

Floods in France leave 18 dead

DRAGUIGNAN, France — At least 18 people were killed after flash floods hit the backhills of the French Riviera, the local administration said Wednesday.

The death toll was preliminary, the Var region prefecture said.

Officials had earlier said that 15 people died in the flooding that turned streets into meters-(yard) high brown rivers and 12 more were missing.

The floods swept away cars, trees and parts of houses in a downpour that devastated the picturesque region in the hills behind a portion of the Riviera.

THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. Check back soon for further information. AP’s earlier story is below.

DRAGUIGNAN, France (AP) — Fifteen people were killed and another 12 missing after flash floods hit southeastern France, turning city streets into meters-high (feet-high) brown rivers that swept away cars, trees and parts of houses, Var region officials said Wednesday.

The flooding devastated the picturesque region in the hills behind a portion of the Riviera.

Nearly a dozen helicopters worked overnight to evacuate people trapped by floodwaters, which reached about 2 meters (6.5 feet) high in some areas. About 1,200 people spent the night in shelters, and tens of thousands were still without electricity or phone service on Wednesday afternoon, the Var government said.

Meteo France meteorological service forecast more but lighter rain Wednesday night in the region popular with tourists.

“We’ve never seen so much rain in the month of June,” said Patrick Galois of the national weather service. He said some 40 centimeters (16 inches) of rain had fallen in the hardest-hit area of Arcs, near Draguignan. “That corresponds with average rainfall in six months.”

Eight of the flood-related deaths were reported in the city of Draguignan, halfway between Marseille and Monaco.

French television broadcast images of walls of muddy brown water slamming over walls and coursing through city streets. The flood left cars stacked on one another and ripped the siding off houses.

Residents worked Wednesday to clear mud and water from homes and businesses.

French President Nicolas Sarkozy said his “first thoughts go out to the victims,” and underscored his “solidarity with the inhabitants of the Var region who have had to go through this very difficult natural disaster,” according to a statement.

Associated Press Writer Laurent Lemel in Paris contributed to this report.