In Corsica, floods claimed the lives of two people — Interia

In Corsica, France, two people died after a car was swept away by floodwaters at night on the RT10 road between Bonifacio and Porto-Vecchio. Three people were in the vehicle: a 40-year-old woman survived and was evacuated by rescuers in a helicopter, Interia reports.

Evacuation of the victim

According to André Lemiere, director of the Corsica prefect's office, the tragedy occurred at around 1 a.m. from Thursday to Friday. French Interior Minister Laurent Nunez said that the woman was lifted aboard a helicopter using a winch and taken to hospital.

A firefighter who took part in rescuing the woman also required medical assistance after showing symptoms of hypothermia. According to Corse Matin, the deceased were residents of Porto-Vecchio and were returning from Figari Airport when they were caught by the sudden flood.

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Damaged roads and bridges

Intense rainfall has continued on the island since midweek. Eastern and southern Corsica were hit hardest, where 150 to 250 litres of water per square metre have fallen since Wednesday, and in some places up to 300–350 litres per square metre.

Schools and the municipal nursery-kindergarten were closed in Bonifacio, while classes were also suspended in another 11 towns on the island. Eighty-five firefighters were mobilized due to the bad weather. The flood partially destroyed a bridge between Murateddu and Porto-Vecchio, the Alzu di Ghjadina crossing was closed, and a number of roads became impassable.

Porto-Vecchio Mayor Jean-Christophe Angelini said that after the disaster, the city looks as if it has been bombed: sections of the urban network were destroyed and old bridges were washed away. An orange Météo-France warning for heavy rain and flooding was in effect in southwestern Corsica.