In action because of the severe thunderstorms in southern France, three civil protection forces were killed in a helicopter crash during the night of Monday. The accident occurred at around 1:30 am near Marseille, the Home Office said.
The three helpers were on the way to a rescue mission, it said. The EC145 helicopter lost its radio and radar contact during a reconnaissance and rescue flight. According to Interior Minister Christophe Castaner and his Secretary of State Laurent Nuñez, the three rescue workers were found near the town of Le Rove in the Var department.
The department also killed two more people on Sunday. A man from the seaside town of Fréjus on the Côte d'Azur had been swept away by the water and found dead, said the prefecture of Var on Sunday.
The deceased was a stables owner who wanted to take care of his animals when the floods tore him, said the prefecture. He was reported as missing around 9pm. Two hours later, his body had been found.
In the village of Saint-Paul-en-Forêt, a shepherd in his car was also torn away from the floods. His body was later found 300 meters further in his car.
For around 150 communities, the state of emergency still applies
Because of severe weather warnings was on Sunday in the departments Var and Alpes-Maritimes the highest alert. Particularly affected were the coastal areas on the French Riviera and there especially the two popular resorts Saint-Tropez and Sainte-Maxime and their surroundings. The train service in the region was partially discontinued.
Extreme rains had already led to unusually heavy floods in the two departments a week ago. Roads turned into rivers, rails were flooded, hundreds of residents had to leave their homes. Six people died. The state of emergency still applies to just under 150 municipalities.
