Extremely heavy rainfall has led to a disaster in Aude in the Languedoc-Roussillon region of southern France, killing 14 people and causing total damage of around 200 million euros. Houses and roads were torn away, vineyards flooded metres high.
The president of the Syndicat des Vignerons de l'Aude, Frédéric Rouanet, said about 40 to 50 percent of the cultivated area had been damaged or destroyed. Winegrowers from Cracassonne had reported that 200 hectares of vineyards had been flooded, with the water standing two metres high. In addition, the rain had also caused rockfall and mudslides to fall on the vines. A vineyard of three to four hectares was three metres high, covered with boulders and mud.
French President Emmanuel Macron has promised the inhabitants of the region emergency aid of 80 million euros.
(uka)