Floods hit Saint-Tropez as rain hits southern France

Floodwaters swamped storefronts in the glitzy French resort of Saint-Tropez on Saturday as heavy rains closed roads and train lines in the south of the country.

Firefighters were called at least 10 times to help people trapped in their homes and cars by rising waters in the Var region, including the town where Brigitte Bardot and other celebrities live.

At the port, where Saturday nights are usually dominated by fashionistas, water flooded shop doors. Several restaurant managers and shop owners were seen trying to push water out of their businesses with mops. The police blocked some roads.

The Saint-Tropez region and the Var department were among the hardest hit by the rains.

In the neighboring commune of Muy, shopkeeper Patrick Gaillard built a temporary dam to protect his business.

“It’s quite onerous, but it’s necessary that there is no water in the store,” he told AFP.

One father and his 11-year-old daughter had to be airlifted by helicopter from their mobile home in nearby Roquebrune-sur-Argens. Two more people were rescued from the roof of the car.

In the Gard department, one hunter had to be rescued with his five dogs on a small island in the Gardon River.

Some roads were closed and rail services were suspended for Saturday and Sunday on the regional line between Gard and Lozère, where a train was derailed by a landslide on Friday evening.

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