Heavy floods in Italy and France led to the loss of some citizens

Arab Weather - The French and Italian authorities said on Saturday that the floods caused by record rains in mountainous regions and spread across France and Italy, claiming the lives of Italian citizens and the loss of more than 24 people in the two countries.

A storm that swept southeast France at night, then northern Italy, caused major floods on both sides of the border, damaged homes, destroyed bridges, and blocked roads.

In Italy, a fireman was killed during a rescue operation in a mountainous region in the north of the country.

The authorities reported that they are searching for 16 missing persons in the western region of the country for 16 missing persons in the Piedmont region

The torrential rain during the night hours reached levels not seen in the city since 1958 in the Piedmont region of northern Italy, with 630 mm of rain falling within 24 hours, according to the Italian Civil Protection Agency.

Local firefighters said at least eight people were missing, including two firefighters who had collapsed during the rescue operation, and dozens of people were evacuated from their homes during the night hours.

The storm, named Alex, devastated several villages around Nice, on the French Riviera. The mayor of Nice described the accident as the worst flood disaster in the region in more than a century, after flying over the worst-affected area by helicopter.

Meteo France said there was 450 rainfall over a 24-hour period in some regions, which is equivalent to nearly four months of rain at this time of year.

The Director of Civil Protection said that the rainfall was higher than it was on October 3, 2015, when floods killed 20 people in a French city, and the French meteorological agency issued a warning of danger on Friday and closed all schools in the area, and local authorities urged people to stay In their homes.