At least two people have died and up to 20 remain missing after Storm Alex battered south-eastern France and north-western Italy with fierce winds and torrential rain. The storm caused widespread destruction, destroying roads, bridges, and homes in several villages north of Nice.
French Prime Minister Jean Castex has deployed the army and released emergency funds to tackle the worst floods in decades. Up to 20 people are unaccounted for, though officials caution that many may simply be unable to contact relatives due to damaged infrastructure. Bernard Gonzalez, prefect of the Alpes-Maritimes region, said: 'Just because their loved ones haven't been able to get in touch doesn't mean that they have been taken by the storm.'
Météo-France reported that 450mm of rain fell in some areas over 24 hours, equivalent to nearly four months' rainfall. The southern Alps region, particularly the Roya, Tinée, Esteron, and Vésubie valleys, suffered severe damage. The villages of Saint-Martin-Vésubie and Rimplas were cut off, with roads inaccessible. One resident of Roquebillière told Agence France-Presse: 'I lost everything but we are alive. There must be one room left in my house.'
In north-western Italy, flooding was described as 'historic'. A section of a key bridge over the Sesia river in Piedmont's Vercelli province collapsed shortly after reopening. Piedmont President Alberto Cirio told La Stampa that 630mm of rain fell in 24 hours, an amount 'unheard of since 1954'. Hundreds of aid workers have been deployed to rescue efforts in cut-off villages.
The two fatalities included a 53-year-old firefighter in the Aosta Valley who died during a rescue operation, and a 36-year-old man whose car was swept into a river in Piedmont. Storm Alex also affected France's western Atlantic coast, causing tens of thousands of power outages, with winds exceeding 180km/h recorded in Brittany. Meanwhile, Venice was successfully protected by its flood barrier system after being braced for high waters.
