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Villages flooded, houses destroyed, roads blocked: after severe storms in the Franco-Italian border area, more than 20 people, including four Germans, are missing. Two people died on the Italian side: a volunteer firefighter from the Arnad municipality in the Aosta Valley died in a rescue operation against a fallen tree, according to the Italian news agency Ansa. In Piedmont, a man was trapped in the water of the Sesia River in his car overnight; was dragged away.
The storms occurred in the interior of the French Riviera and in the Italian region of Piedmont. Many roads in the region with deeply cut mountain valleys were no longer passable. The villages were cut off from the outside world. Thousands of homes were without power. At Nice airport, flight operations have returned to normal, the airport announced via Twitter.
Four missing Germans
The four missing Germans are grandparents with their two grandchildren. That is what Civil Defense spokeswoman Mara Anastasia of the AFP news agency said.
French Prime Minister Jean Castex visited the crisis zone the same day. Castex assured support to the population; this Wednesday the cabinet will declare a state of disaster for the affected communities.
Nice Mayor Christian Estrosi said he had never seen a disaster of this magnitude in the region. According to the media, the conservative politician announced that the army should be deployed in the region. About 100 houses were destroyed or damaged in the region, Estrosi said.
Storms in the region are not uncommon
Severe storms are not uncommon in the region. In the fall of last year, 14 people died. The densely urbanized Côte d’Azur was hit by strong storms exactly five years ago, 20 people died at that time. Nice and the Côte d’Azur are especially popular with tourists in the summer months, including those from Germany. However, the crisis in the crown has been affecting tourism, which is a major source of income for the region, since the spring.
