France floods: 17 dead on Riviera after storms Published duration 4 October 2015

media caption Footage filmed in Cannes showed floodwater rushing through the streets

Violent storms and flooding have hit south-eastern France, killing at least 17 people with four more missing, officials say.

Three elderly people drowned when their retirement home near the city of Antibes was flooded.

Others died trapped in their cars in tunnels and underground car parks as the waters rose.

French President Francois Hollande announced a state of "natural disaster" in the affected region.

He thanked rescuers and expressed the "solidarity of the nation".

Mr Hollande offered condolences as he visited the retirement home in the town of Biot and urged residents in the region to remain cautious, saying: "It's not over."

'Terrifying'

Heavy rain hit the French Riviera on Saturday evening.

media caption Londoner Warren Greene - camping at Antibes - said the flood level rose to waist-height "within minutes"

The city of Nice is estimated to have received 10% of its average yearly rainfall in two days alone.

The river Brague burst its banks, sending water coursing into nearby towns and cities. Social media pictures showed water gushing down the streets of Cannes.

Cannes resident Katya Higham-Stoianova told the BBC: "It was terrifying. We wanted to go out but decided not to as the rain was unbelievably heavy. The level of water was rising very quickly."

Cannes mayor David Lisnard said: "Some cars were carried off into the sea. We have rescued a lot of people, and we must now be vigilant against looting."

image copyright AFP image caption A football match between Nice and Nantes had to be abandoned owing to torrential rain

image copyright @stuartdredge image caption This was the scene in Cannes overnight

image copyright @JuliaaHuber image caption The train station was flooded, disrupting local services

Eric Ciotti, president of the Alpes-Maritimes department, tweeted : "We have lived through an apocalyptic situation that we have never experience before."

The main motorway through the area has been closed, trains halted and hundreds of tourists sought shelter at Nice airport overnight. About 10,000 homes were still without power on Sunday evening, mainly in Cannes.

Some concertgoers attending a show by French rock veteran Johnny Hallyday at a venue in Nice had to sleep overnight there after becoming stranded.

media caption Cannes resident: "I found my car 300m from where I left it"