Photos: flash floods and storms hit south of France, driver dies after sliding off road

At least one person has died following violent storms in the south-east of France yesterday. 

A man in his 50s died after his car slid off the road during heavy rain just before 19:00 near Signes (Var), announced the departmental prefecture.

The vehicle was found by emergency services in a ditch alongside the road, and the driver was pronounced dead at the scene.

The department was facing tier-three orange alerts – the second-highest possible – for storms and heavy rain/flash flooding at the time of the accident, with these warnings not lifted until 20:00.

During an orange alert, drivers are recommended to only use their vehicle if they need to get somewhere, and otherwise should stay off the roads.

Elsewhere, a firefighter in the department was injured after attending a callout near Brignoles. 

Around 700 homes lost power during the storms, as close to 80mm of rain hit parts of the department during the course of the storm. 

Coastal regions saw short but extremely heavy rainfall, and rain around 20km/h out into the Mediterranean reached well over 150 mm/h.

Schools in the Var and Bouches-du-Rhône departments were closed, pushing back the start of the school year to today (September 2). 

Further information can be found in the prefecture press release below.

In May, three people died in the Var after violent storms rocked the coast, including drivers who were swept away by heavy rain inside their vehicles.

Photos and videos of the stormy conditions in the Var and nearby departments yesterday can be seen below.