1 dead, hundreds evacuated in flood-hit France

A man watches an overturned car near the Maravenne river on Jan. 19, 2014, in Londe-les-Maures after floods struck southeastern France. One man died Sunday and more than 150 people had to be airlifted to safety. AFP

HYÈRES, France—One man died Sunday and more than 150 people had to be airlifted to safety after floods struck southeastern France, local authorities said.

A second man disappeared while out on his boat and 4,000 homes have been left without power after the inundations in the department of Var, they said.

The victim, a 73-year-old man, died in his basement, local official Laurent Cayrel told a press conference. He added that there had been “record rainfall.”

“The situation is very worrying, and it’s not going to get any better tonight (Sunday),” he said, with forecasts of more rainfall.

By late Sunday, 155 people had been airlifted from the worst-hit areas and efforts to evacuate residents by boat were continuing.

One local resident told how from her home she saw a huge wave sweep her empty car away before she was evacuated by helicopter with her five-year-old daughter.

“It was really staggering,” she said. “We had called the fire brigade who told us to move the furniture upstairs…. We had very little time, the house flooded very quickly.”—Hugues Jeanneaud