Image via Shutterstock
Hundreds of tourists were stuck overnight at Nice airport on Saturday amid violent storms and flooding which killed at least 17 people across the French Riviera.
Up to 500 travellers – mostly British and Danish nationals – were stuck at the airport.
The flooding closed the A8 motorway and Cannes railway station while about 27,000 homes were left without electricity.
More than 17cm of rain fell on the Cannes region in two hours – the same amount the region would usually expect over two months, according to local reports.
The Alpes-Maritimes region was hit by torrential rain on Saturday evening. Nice is estimated to have received 10% of its average yearly rainfall in two days alone.
People were found dead due to flash floods in the towns of Cannes, Biot, Golfe-Juan and Mandelieu-la-Napoule near the border with Italy.
Some reportedly drowned in their cars after becoming stuck inside a tunnel.
Another victim died at a campsite in Antibes, where rescue helicopters airlifted others to safety from the rooftops of their caravans, according to Sky News.
Eric Ciotti, president of the Alpes-Maritimes department, described the situation as “apocalyptic”.