Four people have died and up to 18 more are missing in floods and heavy rain in south-eastern France, local authorities said on Monday.
Over the weekend, southern France was lashed by torrential rain and swollen rivers have swept away houses, bridges and parts of roads.
Authorities cannot give a more precise estimate for the death toll from the flooding as emergency services struggle to reach flood-hit villages as many roads have been washed away or are still blocked by debris. Meteo France registered rainfall of 500 mm of rain over 24 hours in Saint-Martin-Vesubie on Saturday and close to 400 mm in several other towns - the equivalent of more than three months of rain at this time of the year.
Among those missing is a couple in their eighties who are believed to have still been in their house in the village of Roquebilliere as the surging Vesubie river engulfed it. Footage of the house collapsing into the river has dominated French TV news coverage of the flooding over the weekend.
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