Cars swept away in French floods

Flash floods in southeastern France have caused widespread damage. In several regions – including the Loire and the Rhone – dozens of vehicles were swept away by torrents of mud. Officials in some villages say they were caught by surprise.

The Mayor of Rive de Gier, Jean-Pierre Charvin, said: “We weren’t in a state of alert because we didn’t receive any warning. The alert came through at two in the morning, but the flooding began at 11 the night before. We couldn’t prepare for much. We were more observers than active players.”

Police are checking out reports that a fisherman has gone missing and that looting has taken place in some flooded villages. Many main roads have been cut off and hundreds of homes lost their power supplies.

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