European newspapers have described the storm's severity as "the most terrifying in recorded history." Heavy rains have submerged many cars on the road and trapped some people in their vehicles.
The storm has claimed at least four lives in France, according to the Associated Press. Victims were found in cars swept away by floodwaters. In some areas, the rainfall was equivalent to an average of two to three months. Some river banks rose more than 6 meters. The rain also led to the collapse of bridges and highways. Officials called the rainfall historic and the damage significant.
A flooded area after heavy rains in Le Muy, southeastern France.
“France has always had floods caused by storms and rains, but this is a rare event that has affected neighboring countries,” a French meteorologist told The Guardian.
In Greece, two people died when their sailboat was swept away in storms. Another person drowned while trying to swim to shore off the island of Kos. Hundreds of homes west of Athens were flooded in the storm. Rain and landslides closed part of a highway outside the Greek capital.
Storms and floods in Greece have caused road damage.
And swept away many cars on the road.
In northern Italy, rescuers are still searching for victims after a landslide caused a section of elevated highway near the city of Savona to collapse. However, the collapse has sparked new investigations into the safety of Italy's roads.
A section of elevated highway near the city of Savona collapsed.
News of this month’s flooding began in Venice, where the city declared a state of emergency and then led to unusually heavy flooding in neighboring Italy, France and Greece. The prolonged storms not only caused loss of life and property but also caused extensive damage to world heritage sites.
Venice was submerged in floodwaters.
