Severe weather has caused chaos in the south of France. Torrential rain has caused extensive damage, particularly around Marseille and on the Mediterranean island of Corsica.

In the Marseille region, the emergency services were working round the clock. They rescued people from flooded cars and houses, and numerous roads had to be closed. At least one person lost their life.

Enormous amounts of rain fell across Corsica. In the municipality of Solenzara, more than 600 mm fell within just 24 hours – as much as falls elsewhere in a whole year.

On top of that, there were violent thunderstorms with thousands of flashes of lightning. Around 6,000 households were temporarily without power, and operations at Bastia Airport in the north of the island came to a standstill.

Following the storms, the weather is now set to improve. It will remain mostly dry over the next few days. Showers and thunderstorms will move towards Italy and the Adriatic coast.