Six die in France floods

Paris, Sep 18 (IANS/EFE) Six people have died in rain-fed floods in southern France, authorities said Thursday, with most of the victims swept away from a campsite.

Five of the victims were killed Wednesday night in the Lamalou les Bains region, when rising flood waters fed by torrential rains roared through the campsite.

Government representative Pierre de Bousquet told France Info radio that the most likely scenario was that a dam collapsed, releasing a large wave that swept through the campsite.

The bodies of two of the dead were found at the campsite and a third was discovered in another part of town.

De Bousquet added that the local authorities are looking for two other people but reaching the area was difficult because of unstable earth.

Rescue teams carried out more than 200 operations in the region and dozens of people were evacuated.

--IANS/EFE

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