Paris: At least six people have been killed by flash floods in France’s Aude region, authorities said Monday.
Officials said that several months’ of rain fell in just a few hours overnight, blocking roads in some areas.
One woman was swept away by the River Aude, according to local broadcaster BFMTV.
Alain Thirion, the prefect of Aude, said people were stranded on rooftops and would have to be evacuated by air because it was too dangerous by boat, the BBC reported.
Residents were urged to stay inside their homes by emergency services, who issued a red alert.
In one area, floodwater was as high as seven metres (23 feet). Authorities said that a warning for flooding was issued for the nearby regions of Aveyron, la Haute-Garonne, Hérault, Pyrénées-Orientales and Tarn.
“These floods are the worst the Aude River has seen in more than 100 years,” said the weather monitoring service Vigicrues.
IANS