A British holidaymaker has described how a raging river near her campsite in southern France forced the evacuation of hundreds of people.
Heavy rain in the Gard, Ardèche and Drôme areas destroyed tents while a 67-year-old German man at a camp in Saint-Julien-de-Peyrolas in the Gard region was feared to have been swept away with his van by floodwater.
Kathryn Alford, 44, from Welwyn Garden City, Hertfordshire, was camping in Saint-Martin-d’Ardèche with her husband and two children. She said storms started at 7am on Thursday with heavy rain, thunder and lightning causing a power blackout.
“I looked out and saw that the water level seemed higher than just massive puddles,” she said. Things were floating past.” Ms Alford said the fire brigade came to the