DIONS: French rescue workers were searching for seven people, including two children, missing after violent floods swept the south of the country on Sunday with most believed to have been swept away in cars on flooded bridges.
The incident occurred late Saturday evening when a family of four, including two children aged four and 13, attempted to cross a bridge over the river Gardon in the village of Dions, north of Nimes. The father and the two children remain missing, while the mother, aged 40, was rescued and hospitalized.
Search efforts are concentrated in Dions, where a helicopter and several firefighters are scouring the area aided by drones and dogs. The bridge remains submerged, complicating rescue operations.
Two women, aged 47 and 50, also disappeared after making an emergency call from a bridge in the town of Goudargues. Additionally, a Belgian driver is feared to have been swept away from a bridge in the village of Gagnieres, despite warnings from authorities to avoid the area.
In a separate incident in the Ardeche department, the manager of a hydroelectric power station is missing after checking the facility in the village of Saint Martin de Valamas.
Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin stated that rescuers have conducted 35 operations amid the storm and torrential rains in the Ardeche and Gard departments. Although all swept-away vehicles have been located, there is still no sign of the missing individuals.
Authorities expressed frustration at the disregard for safety warnings, emphasizing the danger posed to both individuals and emergency responders during such hazardous conditions.
