Storms Kill 22 in Southern France
Fierce weekend rainstorms in southeast France that set off mudslides and flooding have killed at least 22 people, including four family members who died when a wall of mud slammed into their home.
The death toll crept up steadily as rescuers uncovered victims of the storm from cars, homes and streets. Ten people were still missing 24 hours after the deluge began, local officials said.
Torrential rains struck the Eastern Pyrenees and the Tarn, Aude, and Herault river regions of southern France, setting off mudslides and floods that inundated roads and homes, smashed cars and damaged bridges. Water was 6 feet deep in the streets of some villages.
A wall of mud slammed into four homes early Saturday in the Tarn town of Labastide-Rouairoux. In one house, the mud engulfed the living room, killing a mother and her three children, officials said. Only the father escaped alive.
The Defense Ministry ordered 800 rescuers, including soldiers, into the area.
President Jacques Chirac visited the Aude on Saturday to convey “the nation’s solidarity” with the victims.
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