France floods: British woman dies after being swept away in water
A massive amount of rain fell in just 24 hours in Beziers - the southern town worst hit by this week's devastating weather.
Friday 25 October 2019 11:59, UK
A British woman was among three people killed in floods in southern France, the Foreign Office has confirmed.
Local media said the 68-year-old was swept away outside her home in Cazouls-d'Herault, 31 miles (50km) west of Montpellier.
A helicopter reportedly took the woman to hospital after emergency workers found her unresponsive near her house on Wednesday, but she died overnight.
Local mayor Henry Sanchez told TV station France 3 he had visited the woman in the morning and she did not appear to be in danger.
However, he said that in the space of just two hours the river near her house had swelled dramatically.
A Foreign Office spokesman said: "We are supporting the family of a British woman who has died in Cazouls-d'Herault and our staff are in contact with the French authorities."
The woman has not yet been named
France's interior minister said several thousand emergency service workers were dealing with the fallout from the storms.
The rain affected at least eight French counties along the Mediterranean Sea and inland areas.
Hardest hit was the town of Beziers, which got more rain in 24 hours than in the whole of the previous year, sweeping away cars and sparking evacuations.
Details of the other two flood-related deaths in France are so far unknown.
Spain has also been affected by the torrential rain, and on Wednesday police said one man had died and two other people were unaccounted for in the northeastern region of Catalonia.
Officers found the body of a man on a beach at Arenys de Mar, 27 miles (43km) north of Barcelona.
Authorities said power cuts caused by the rainfall had affected 20,000 people and cut off 40 roads in the region after rivers burst their banks.
A suspected tornado also hit Ibiza on Tuesday, leaving at least three people injured and hundreds of trees uprooted.
British holidaymaker Sophie Kelly said the storm had struck quickly, "snapping trees in two" and causing heavy flooding.
Sky News is broadcasting a Brexit-free channel, weekdays 5pm to 10pm on Sky 523.