Severe thunderstorms claim three lives in Southeastern France

At least three people lost their lives, including an elderly couple in their eighties, after severe thunderstorms struck southeastern France on Tuesday, causing devastation described by one official as "scenes of war."

Local officials reported that the couple died in the coastal town of Le Lavandou, while another fatality occurred in Vidauban.

The couple’s car was carried away by floodwaters, with the woman’s body still trapped inside the vehicle, according to Toulon public prosecutor Samuel Finielz, who spoke to AFP.

Authorities have launched an investigation to establish the cause of death, with Toulon’s public prosecutor noting the challenging conditions on the ground.

Gil Bernardi, mayor of Le Lavandou, painted a grim picture of the aftermath, describing it as “scenes of war” with roads and bridges destroyed.

“It was an extremely violent and overwhelming event,” Bernardi told BFM television. “The town is left without electricity, drinking water, or sewage treatment facilities.”

In Vidauban, a local official managed to rescue a driver from a submerged vehicle, but tragically, the passenger did not survive. Mayor Claude Pianetti explained on Facebook that the car had driven onto a flooded country road and ended up in a ditch.

The severe weather also affected southwestern France the day before, with hailstorms and heavy rain causing flooding, damaging railway infrastructure, and forcing the evacuation of hundreds of passengers from a high-speed TGV train stranded overnight.

The train, traveling from Toulouse to Paris on Monday night, was halted near Tonneins after the track was destabilized by the heavy rains.

Over 500 passengers were evacuated by bus in a rescue operation involving firefighters, police, and volunteers.

"We narrowly avoided disaster — the tracks were exposed, and the TGV was suspended," said Dante Rinaudo, mayor of Tonneins. He added that the intense flooding, which inundated homes and cellars, should be officially recognized as a natural disaster.

Another train traveling the same route was stranded overnight in Agen, with passengers transported by bus to Toulouse the following morning.

A spokesperson for the state rail operator SNCF announced that train services between Agen and Marmande in southwestern France would be suspended for "at least several days," impacting TGV routes connecting Bordeaux and Toulouse.