Update: A fourth body was found in the Gard, the authorities announced at 11:30, and a fifth this afternoon in Hérault, bringing the death toll to six people.
A father and two children are reported missing in the Gard department since Saturday (March 9) when flash flooding carried away their car during storms in the south of France. The mother was with them but was rescued.
Four people have died in the weekend storms, all of them had been in cars.
The father and children were driving across a flooded bridge near the commune of Dions at around 23:00 when the strong river currents hit.
The mother of the family managed to be rescued by firefighters and rushed to hospital. Her husband and two children, aged 4 and 12 were not able to escape at the same time and the car was swept away.
The search for them is continuing. “It's complicated at the moment to know what the chances are of finding the people in the short term, even if the search is going to speed up," said secretary general of the department Frédéric Loiseau.
A white car has been found further downstream, which authorities believe may belong to the family.
Another person has been missing in Ardèche, close to the village of Saint-Martin-de-Valamas, since Saturday. His vehicle was found close to his workplace.
At least four people died in the storms, including three in the Gard, and a fisherman from Île de Ré (Charente-Maritime), who was cut off from the mainland by high waves and drowned.
Five departments still face heightened orange weather warnings in place, all for river flooding: Yonne, Puy-de-Dôme, Pyrénées-Atlantiques, Charente-Maritime, and Gironde. Gironde also has a heightened warning for coastal waves.
Death toll includes drivers
The bodies of the three people found dead in the south of France were all retrieved from their cars.
This included a 62-year old Belgian, close to Gagnières, Gard, who reportedly lived in the area and had been trying to cross a road bridge temporarily closed due to the flooding.
The bodies of two women were found in a vehicle close to Goudargues, also in the Gard.
It means the three dead, and four missing were all in – or recently had been in – their vehicles prior to the incidents.
The Belgian driver and missing family were driving over ponts submersibles – bridges with no parapets.
These allow rising rivers to glide over without causing a backlog of water or bottlenecks elsewhere in the river, meaning water levels return to normal more quickly after rising.
However, they are extremely dangerous to drive over when river levels are raised, as the water’s current is much more powerful.
Read more: Storms in France: what to do if at home, out walking or in car
In the west of France, an 80-year old fisherman was trapped by rapidly rising tides and waves on the Île de Ré.
He was fishing on land when the waves suddenly cut him off from the mainland, and he drowned.
The strong tides are expected to last in the west until at least Tuesday (March 12).
Power plant worker missing
In Ardèche, a 70-year old manager of a local hydroelectric plant is also missing. He went to work at a smaller power station in the area around 16:00 on Saturday and was reported missing by colleagues at 19:30.
His vehicle was found alongside his wallet near the Eyrieux river, but no trace of him.
The search has resumed, but Olivier Amrane, President of the Ardèche Departmental Council said the authorities were “pessimistic” about finding the man.
Read more: What to do (and not do) during heavy rain and flood alerts in France
Weather alerts continue
The heightened weather warnings in the Gard and Ardèche were lifted this morning as the heavy rain ceased and river levels lowered.
However, people in these areas should still be cautious.
The five departments on heightened warnings are currently due to remain until at least Tuesday, although this may change depending on how the weather progresses throughout today.
The weather should calm towards midweek, although less intense rain is expected in the north.
You can keep up to date with all weather warnings through the official Météo Francewebsite, and river levels via the official Vigicrues website.
Note these warnings are subject to change multiple times throughout the day, especially during periods of intense weather.
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