Violent storms and flooding send water cascading through Antibes, Cannes and Nice, inundating a retirement home and killing three people inside

This article is more than 4 years old

This article is more than 4 years old

Nineteen people are feared dead after violent storms and severe flooding swept the French Riviera, including three people who drowned in a retirement home after a river broke its banks.



Heavy flooding along the Côte d’Azur on Saturday saw the river Brague burst its banks close to the city of Antibes, flooding a home for elderly people.

The French president, François Hollande, confirmed at least 16 people had died and three were missing. The interior ministry said earlier in the morning there was little hope of finding the missing people alive.

“It’s not over,” Hollande said as he arrived at the flooded retirement home and met emergency service workers. “The toll is not yet finalised. In times like this, we must be fast, efficient and coordinated.” He warned locals to take care on local roads, which are covered with slippery mud.

At least seven people drowned after their cars became trapped in underground car parks, according to rescue teams in Mandelieu-la Napoule, with the commune’s mayor, Henri Leroy, warning more bodies may be found.

“It’s apocalyptic,” he told Agence France-Presse. “The parking was half-emptied but there are thousands of vehicles. There could be more bodies.”

Three people drowned when their car became stuck in rising waters inside a narrow tunnel near Vallauris Golfe-Juan, authorities said.

A woman in her 60s is reported to have died in the street in Cannes when huge storms hit the region on Saturday. Water and debris coursed down roads in the festival town and in the neighbouring city of Nice. Another victim was found dead at a campsite in Antibes, according to officials.

More than 17cm (6.7in) of rain fell on the Cannes region in two hours, radio France Bleu Azur reported.

Obama declares state of emergency in South Carolina over floods Read more

Guardian journalist Stuart Dredge, attending the MIPJunior television conference in Cannes, said the venue for the event had been flooded. He said he had walked knee-deep in water on his way home on Saturday night after watching the England-Australia Rugby World Cup match.

“By half time, the street outside was running with water, and the main Rue d’Antibes road in Cannes was between ankle and knee-deep at its lower points,” he said.

“The crossroads were the most dangerous parts: the water really was pouring down from the higher ground with strong currents – and a fair few people walking home had been drinking, so their balance would have been a bit impaired already.”

Stuart Dredge (@stuartdredge) Seriously though, this is the state of Cannes' main thoroughfare right now pic.twitter.com/xk2V429l9X

Dredge said he did not see anyone fall into the water, although some moped drivers needed assistance. “This morning, there are a few cars that have clearly been swept along and deposited leaning against railings. When I got home the power was out in my building, but it came back on again shortly before midnight.

“I think Cannes probably got off lightly, comparably. It was a hairy walk home, but I didn’t feel in true danger,” he added.

Flooding in Cannes

“Some cars were carried off into the sea,” said Cannes’ mayor, David Lisnard, describing water levels reaching halfway up car doors and trees left uprooted on the city’s main street.



“We have rescued a lot of people, and we must now be vigilant against looting,” he added, announcing that an emergency plan to mobilise police, emergency responders and municipal services.

British journalist Sarah Kovandzich said she was in Le Crillon bar a few streets back from the seafront when she and her companions saw water running past the door.

“I’ve never seen anything like it in Cannes,” she said. “The water started to seep into the bar, then we were up to our ankles, people were putting their feet up on the chairs. Outside, you could see plant pots and flowers just being carried along the road by the water.”

Kovandzich said the walk home was daunting because the flooding had removed manhole covers. “You couldn’t immediately see where the holes might be because of the flowing water.”

The power was out in her apartment and water was dripping through the ceiling, she said.

One social media user compared the scenes in Cannes on Sunday morning to the zombie TV series The Walking Dead, posting pictures of several damaged cars.

Jer Crunchant ™ (@jercrunchant) Les rues de #Cannes ont un air de "The Walking Dead" ce matin, sauf que ce n'est pas de la fiction #jamaisvuca pic.twitter.com/dFACFwtM0Q

France’s interior minister, Bernard Cazeneuve, was also due to visit the area on Sunday morning to inspect rescue efforts, his spokesman said.

Hollande thanked rescuers and politicians for their work, praising the “solidarity of the nation” and offering condolences to the victims’ families, while the prime minister, Manuel Valls, spoke of his “deep emotion” on hearing of the deaths.

The Elysée palace announced on Sunday that victims of the flooding will receive help from the state under a French law that gives compensation to victims of natural disasters. A tweet from the president’s office said it would be paid within three months.

The areas worst hit by flooding were also the hardest to access, officials said, raising fears the death toll could rise. About 27,000 homes remained without power early on Sunday, 14,000 of them in Cannes.

French rail company SNCF said about a dozen trains carrying hundreds of people had to be halted for safety reasons, while roads around Antibes were also flooded, according to French emergency services. Train services are still cancelled between Toulon and Nice, a spokesman said on Sunday, adding that further delays are likely.

“Campsites are under water, and two helicopters are circling to ensure the public’s security, as some people are stuck on the roof of their caravans,” said a spokeswoman for the fire brigade.

Up to 500 tourists, including several Britons and Danes, sought shelter overnight at Nice airport, while a Nice versus Nantes football match was interrupted by the downpours.

French weather forecasters said the worst storms had now passed over the French mainland and were heading for the Italian coast.

More than 120 people are staying in temporary shelters in Cannes, according to city authorities. Donations for those who have lost belongings in the floods are being organised in an emergency drive by French charity Secours Populaire.