More rain and floods to hit southern France as Gard recovers from 36-hour storms

Weather forecasters warned of more storms and flooding in the south of France on Saturday night and Sunday after 36 hours of heavy rain in the Gard department around Nîmes and two deaths in traffic accidents in the Gers in the south-west.

The Gallo-Roman theatre in Nîmes in the Gard Tony Cross

The Météo France weather service heavy rain and flooding on Saturday night and Sunday in the Gard, Lozère, Hérault and Ardèche departments, as residents of the Gard cleared up the damage from 36 hours of violent storms.

Rail services between Nîmes and the town of Alès were still not running Saturday, after storms had overturned buses, blocked roads and cut off electricity to 4,000 homes.

Lightening started a number of fires and rescue services came to the aid of more than 500 people, Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve said on Saturday.

Up to 150mm of rain fell around Alès overnight.

Traffic was also disrupted in the Var, to the east, while in the Gers, to the west, two people - a 94-year-old reported to be a retired priest and a young man –died and five people were injured in traffic accidents.

The south of France has been hit by heavy storms in the last month, leaving the city of Montpellier and the surrounding area flooded, destroying crops and property and costing several lives.