At least 24 people have been reported missing in France and Italy on Saturday and two have been killed in severe floods that followed heavy rain.
A storm that battered southeastern France and then moved into northern Italy destroyed bridges, blocked roads and isolated communities, trapping at least 15 people in their cars on a mountain pass that connects the two countries.
The two dead are a firefighter in Italy, killed during a rescue operation in Val d’Aosta, and a man whose body was found in Vercelli province on Friday.
France has been battered by heavy rain since Storm Alex made landfall on Thursday afternoon. Brittany, in the north-west, and the Cote d’Azur, in the south-east, have been particularly affected.
Météo France said in a bulletin published on Saturday morning that although rainfall had weakened in the Alpes-Maritimes, the rise in the water level in a number of unmonitored watercourses still justified an amber warning.
The coastal département had been on red alert on Friday.
As much as 500 mm of rain fell locally in parts of département over the previous 24 hours, the meteorological agency said.
Meanwhile, in Italy’s Piedmont region saw levels of rainfall not seen since 1958.
The torrential rains have caused considerable damage and caused power outages. Energy company Enedis said that 13,500 of its clients were still without electricity at 10 pm on Friday.
Several houses were washed away and the dramatic collapse of a bridge in Saint-Martin-Vésubie was also filmed by residents.
The fire service said that the village is among several still “cut off from the world.”
They added that 850 firefighters — including 348 from outside the département — would be mobilised on Saturday to provide assistance to the “victims of Storm Alex.”
“Our hearts go out to the families of those missing and especially to our two fellow firefighters,” they said on Facebook.
Four helicopters from the Civil Security agency were also sent to assist in the rescue efforts, Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin said.
