Storms cut major rail artery in south of France
With one department still on orange weather alert, the clean-up under way following major storms in south of France
Rail services in southwest France have been severely disrupted by storms that battered the region earlier this week.
A 400m section of the line between Agde and Béziers was washed away by a torrent of water when the violent storms struck on Tuesday and Wednesday.
As reported, heavy rain caused flooding in the Aude, Hérault, Ardèche, and Pyrénées-Orientales departments, with two campsites requiring evacuation of all guests to a nearby gymnasium, roads cut off, and livestock washed away.
After heavy rains and storms in 10 departments in the south of France since Wednesday, only Upper Corsica remains on "storm" and "rain-flood" alert. But while the rains have calmed down, the toll remains significant as the clean-up begins.
Following the torrential rain, SNCF said that all rail services between Sète in the Hérault and Narbonne in the Aude - including TGV and Intercite trains - will be cancelled until Monday, November 4 for repairs to take place.
Services affected include TGVs between Montpellier, Perpignan and Spain and Montpellier to Toulouse, and has called on users to cancel their journeys if at all possible. Tickets can be reimbursed either on the SNCF website, or at railway stations.
Despite the risk, some people found a way to enjoy the conditions.
