VIDEO – Bad weather in the Gard: our impressive images of floods seen from the sky – LCI

The damage is impressive and the intensity of the phenomenon “historical”, according to Météo-France. Violent thunderstorms and record rains hit the Gard on Tuesday, where 800 firefighters are still mobilized. Placed in red vigilance between 11:30 am and 2 pm, the department experienced exceptional rainfall: 277 mm in three hours in Saint-Dionisy, the equivalent of three months of rain. Météo-France also noted wind gusts of up to 105 km / h and “big hailstones”.

Many roads and bridges were cut, trains were blocked. On the A9 motorway, a major axis connecting the Rhône valley, the Marseille region and Italy to Spain, was closed for several hours. It was reopened around 7 p.m., but only in the Montpellier-Orange direction. On the A9, “about 30 people were brought to safety by air and ground means”, while in Aigues-Vives “10 people were hoisted”, said the firefighters.

If no casualties except one “slightly injured” struck by lightning, was not reported in the Gard by the authorities, the Minister of the Interior, Gérald Darmanin, indicated this Tuesday evening after going there that several people remained missing. One of them, in particular, is particularly sought after.

After an improvement, the situation “will deteriorate again from tonight”, warned the prefecture, warning that the “public and private schools will remain closed on Wednesday”.

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