At least 19 killed in flash floods in French Riviera

DRAGUIGNAN, France - At least 19 people were killed in flash floods that hit the back hills of the French Riviera yesterday and turned streets into rivers of surging, muddy water, officials said.

There was confusion about how many people were missing as floods washed over picturesque towns and left them in yards-deep brown water, a press officer at the l Var region prefecture said. A dozen people were unaccounted for, she said.

The floods swept away cars, trees and parts of houses in a downpour that devastated the hill region behind a portion of the Riviera. Coastal towns where tourists flock, Fréjus and Roquebrune, also were hit.

Eleven of the deaths were in Draguignan, in hills among olive groves and small vineyards.

Nearly 3,000 rescue workers poured into the region, joining 650 police, the prefecture said. Nearly a dozen helicopters worked overnight Tuesday to evacuate people trapped by floodwaters, which reached about 6.5 feet high in some areas.

It was France's second weather-related disaster in about four months. On Feb. 28, at least 52 people were killed when a storm named Xynthia smashed dikes in Atlantic coast communities.

Yesterday afternoon, about 1,200 people were in shelters, Var government said. More than 89,000 remained without electricity. - AP