Three Belgians missing in stormy weather in France | Abroad

Two Belgian women were washed away with their car in Goudargues in the south of France. French media report this. Divers have been looking for them since this morning, but they have not yet been found.

Last night, a motorist with Belgian nationality was also reported missing in Gagnières, a few dozen kilometers away. The man was washed away while trying to cross a bridge around 7:45 p.m. However, the road was closed by the municipality and a police officer had asked the driver not to drive over the bridge.

A passenger of the man – also a Belgian – got out of the car and took refuge in a tree. The man was brought to safety by rescuers after more than two hours. Both Belgians have lived in Gagnières for twelve years, the prefecture told the French news agency AFP.

A total of seven people are already missing, including two children aged 4 and 13. They were with their parents in a car trying to cross a bridge over the River Gardon in Dions, north of Nîmes. However, the car was swept away by the water that had risen enormously due to the storm.

The car containing the father and his two children is still missing. The mother was found by rescuers and taken to a hospital, according to the prefecture.

A man has also gone missing in the Ardèche. According to a source at the authorities, it concerns the operator of a hydroelectric power plant in Saint Martin de Valamas.

Four helicopters are being deployed to find the missing.

Code orange has been declared in ten departments in France due to very heavy rainfall. That is the second highest alert level. The public is being urged to be “very vigilant”, stay at home as much as possible and avoid going near watercourses.