Downpours flood parts of French Riviera; at least 20 dead

Jethro Mullen
By Jethro Mullen, CNN
2 minute read
Updated 4:18 PM EDT, Mon October 5, 2015
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French media: 17 killed in flash flooding
00:50 - Source: CNN

Story highlights

NEW: The death toll rises to 20 as officials warn people not to travel

In some areas, as much as 7 inches of rain fell in three hours

Photos and video on social media show torrents of water flowing through Cannes

CNN  — 

Horrific accounts of people drowning in a retirement home and being trapped in a road tunnel by floodwater have emerged after the French Riviera was hit by extreme downpours.

Rainfall on an “exceptional scale” set off flash floods that wreaked havoc along France’s southeastern Mediterranean coast late Saturday. A representative of the French-Alpes Maritime region police said Monday that 20 people are confirmed dead and two missing as a result of flooding.

“A man in his sixties was found dead earlier on Monday in the parking lot of his in residency in Mandelieu-la-Napoule. Another victim was just found dead in Cannes” the representative said.

Rescue workers pump water out of a garage in Mandelieu-la-Napoule, France, on Monday, October 5. Rainfall on an "exceptional scale" set off flash floods that have wreaked havoc along France's southeastern coast. At least 19 people are dead.
Rescue workers pump water out of a garage in Mandelieu-la-Napoule, France, on Monday, October 5. Rainfall on an "exceptional scale" set off flash floods that have wreaked havoc along France's southeastern coast. At least 19 people are dead.
Lionel Cironneau/AP
A woman cleans mud-covered furniture and objects from a house in Mandelieu-la-Napoule on October 5.
A woman cleans mud-covered furniture and objects from a house in Mandelieu-la-Napoule on October 5.
ANNE-CHRISTINE POUJOULAT/AFP/Getty Images
A man cleans a house in Biot, France, on October 5.
A man cleans a house in Biot, France, on October 5.
Lionel Cironneau/AP
Sea lions swim in muddy water at a zoo in Antibes, France, on October 5.
Sea lions swim in muddy water at a zoo in Antibes, France, on October 5.
JEAN-CHRISTOPHE MAGNENET/AFP/Getty Images
Rescue workers help clean a house in Biot on October 5.
Rescue workers help clean a house in Biot on October 5.
Lionel Cironneau/AP
A man walks by cars piled up from floodwaters in Mandelieu-la-Napoule on Sunday, October 4.
A man walks by cars piled up from floodwaters in Mandelieu-la-Napoule on Sunday, October 4.
Lionel Cironneau/AP
A statue of the Virgin Mary stands in water at the entrance of an underground parking garage in Mandelieu-la-Napoule on October 4.
A statue of the Virgin Mary stands in water at the entrance of an underground parking garage in Mandelieu-la-Napoule on October 4.
Lionel Cironneau/AP
Firefighters stand next to an overturned car in Mandelieu-la-Napoule on October 4.
Firefighters stand next to an overturned car in Mandelieu-la-Napoule on October 4.
BORIS HORVAT/AFP/Getty Images
A Ferrari is seen in the middle of debris near Cannes, France, on October 4.
A Ferrari is seen in the middle of debris near Cannes, France, on October 4.
Lionel Cironneau/AP
A man carrying his bicycle tries to make his way through floodwaters in Biot on October 4.
A man carrying his bicycle tries to make his way through floodwaters in Biot on October 4.
Lionel Cironneau/AP
Cars are parked on a flooded street in Nice, France, on Saturday, October 3.
Cars are parked on a flooded street in Nice, France, on Saturday, October 3.
VALERY HACHE/AFP/Getty Images
Flooding hits French Riviera

As much as 180 millimeters (7 inches) of rain in a span of three hours inundated parts of the Alpes-Maritimes district late Saturday, authorities said. The area is home to famous seaside resorts such as Nice, Cannes and Antibes.

Three people were killed in a retirement home in Biot, a community near Antibes, and another person was killed on a road in Cannes, according to authorities.

The news agency Agence France-Presse reported emergency responders and local officials as saying that five people died as they tried to park their cars, and three others drowned when their vehicle became trapped inside a tunnel.

“Searches are continuing in the hardest-hit areas, which are often difficult to access,” the Interior Ministry said, warning there was little hope of finding some of those missing alive.

French President Francois Hollande and Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve visited the area Sunday and met with emergency workers involved in the flood response.

The prefecture said road and rail networks had been badly affected by the flooding, warning people to avoid travel.

Photos and videos posted on social media showed torrents of water flowing through the center of Cannes overnight.

“Actual biblical rain here in Cannes now,” Stuart Dredge, a technology journalist, wrote on Twitter.