Five people have died during severe storms in the southeast of France, it was reported on Monday.
Three rescuers were killed in a helicopter crash near Marseilles and two men drowned in the Var river.
In the early hours of Sunday morning, three occupants of a Civil Security helicopter were killed during a rescue mission in the Var Department, near Marseilles — an area that was not on a red weather alert, the Ministry of the Interior announced.
Heavy rain fell along the French Riviera on Sunday night causing the death of two people in the Var river, according to departmental authorities.
Rescuers were particularly engaged from Sunday night into Monday morning in Fréjus, but also in Puget-sur-Argens and Roquebrune-sur-Argens communes.
The Alpes-Maritimes, Mandelieu-La-Napoule and Cannes were most affected, with several neighbourhoods flooded.
Considering the severity of the storms, the Alpes-Maritimes announced the closure of all schools on Monday, including high schools, in Cannes, Mandelieu, and in the town of Pégomas.
The Brussels Times
