ADVERTISEMENTFlash floods caused by torrential rain in the south of France have left at least four people dead and two missing, including a young girl.
Fields were turned into lakes, streets into rivers as the latest in a series of autumn storms caused havoc. The bad weather is linked to unusually high Mediterranean temperatures.
The bodies of three women and a man were found in different locations along the Mediterranean coast between Toulon and St Tropez.
The town of La Londe des Maures was among the worst hit, with firemen sent to rescue people from their homes.
Some flood victims have been put up in a sports hall – often in a state of shock, with stories to tell but possessions destroyed and homes badly damaged.
Further west, at Sérignan near Béziers in the Herault department, a mini-tornado on Friday morning left a scene of devastation.
With winds of 165 kilometres an hour, it ripped through a campsite on the outskirts of the village.
Rescue workers and locals said it was lucky that it was off-season and no-one died.
The bad weather has subsided in many areas as the storms moved off towards the southwest, but eight French departments remained on a state of alert on Friday.