In brief
A heavy downpour from Storm Adam turned streets into rivers across southern France, killing four people – two women aged 86 and 26 found drowned in a cellar, a survivor of a flood‑swept 4×4 and an unknown fourth victim – and leaving one injured. Dozens were sheltered in Mouriès and Saint‑Martin‑de‑Crau after roads and railways were shut. Transport minister Philippe Tabarot warned that water levels reached unprecedented heights, and Météo‑France has issued an orange‑level wind warning as Storm Austen approaches the northwest. The French government has pledged reconstruction aid, while Spain likewise faces a €23.5 million relief package following earlier deaths.
Four people died and a fifth injured after heavy flooding hit southern France
Storm Adam, which brought record rainfall across the Mediterranean, turned streets into rivers in the Bouches‑du‑Rhône, smashing homes and blocking hospitals.
Two women, aged 86 and 26, were found drowned in a cellar in the Marseilles suburbs; a Corsican 4×4 was swept away with one occupant surviving by a window while a second is dead. Authorities have not yet clarified the last casualty.
Dozens of residents from Mouriès and Saint‑Martin‑de‑Crau were sheltered while roads and train lines were closed. Transport minister Philippe Tabarot tweeted that the water had risen to "unprecedented levels".
Météo‑France issued an orange‑level wind warning for five western departments ahead of the approach of Storm Austen, and the French government pledged assistance for reconstruction.
Earlier, the storm had already claimed three lives in eastern Spain, prompting a €23.5 million aid package from the Valencian government and a promise of national support by Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez.
