Italy, France Floods Leave Two Dead, 24 Missing

Published October 4th, 2020 - 09:38 GMT
A car lies in mud after being moved by the floods of the Vesubie river in Roquebilliere, southeastern France, on October 3, 2020. after heavy rains and floodings hit the Alpes-Maritimes department. Heavy rains and brutal floods have left villages cut off from the world in the Alpes Maritimes, where hundreds of fire-fighters have been mobilised on October 3, to find nine missing persons. NICOLAS TUCAT / AFP
A car lies in mud after being moved by the floods of the Vesubie river in Roquebilliere, southeastern France, on October 3, 2020. after heavy rains and floodings hit the Alpes-Maritimes department. Heavy rains and brutal floods have left villages cut off from the world in the Alpes Maritimes, where hundreds of fire-fighters have been mobilised on October 3, to find nine missing persons. NICOLAS TUCAT / AFP

At least two people are dead and 24 are missing due to flooding in a mountainous area of France and Italy.

Record-setting rains hit the area Friday, causing rivers to flood on both sides of the France-Italy border, destroying bridges and sweeping away cars throughout the area.

Violent thunderstorms that hit southeastern France and northern Italy earlier this week were expected to spread to central Italy Saturday.

A firefighter in Italy was killed during a rescue operation, and a body was found near an area where a man was swept away by flood waters Friday.


Sixteen people -- mostly travelers in cars -- were reported missing on the Col de Tende high mountain pass in Italy. In France, eight people are unaccounted for, including two firefighters whose vehicle floated away when the road collapsed while they were performing a rescue operation.

A spokesman for Italy's firefighters said many of the people reported missing had lost phone cost and were not considered to be in imminent danger.

"Together we will get through this," French president Emmanuel Macron said while expressing gratitude to first responders.

This article has been adapted from its original source.

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