Four dead, one missing after floods in SE France

Four people have died and a 77-year-old man has been missing since Saturday after more than two months worth of rain fell in just 48 hours in southeast France.

A couple in their 70s were found in their car in a ravine near the town of Tanneron in the Var, after their vehicle was swept away in a flash flood caused by the storms.

The body of another victim, who disappeared when a rescue dinghy carrying three members of the public and three firefighters capsized on Saturday evening, was found in the southern Var village of Le Muy, local authorities said. A fourth body, that of a man in his 50s, was found in a car in the village of Cabasse.

Meanwhile, the search is continuing for the 77-year-old, who has not been seen since going out in heavy rain on Saturday evening.

As the clean-up continues following the torrential rains and floods that hit the area on Friday and Saturday, Interior Minister Christophe Castaner visited the area on Sunday to meet emergency services.

Firefighters in the Var and Alpes-Maritimes were called out more than 2,000 times during the storms, and carried out 171 helicopter operations overnight from Saturday into Sunday.

Read more: Two missing as severe floods hit southeast France