At least four dead after storm brings flooding to southern France

At least four people have been killed in France and one other injured after Storm Adam brought severe flooding to the country's south, inundating streets and disrupting transport.

The storm triggered widespread flooding across southern France on Tuesday, following heavy rainfall that began on 19 October. Two of the dead were women aged 86 and 26 who were found drowned in a cellar in the Bouches-du-Rhône region.

'The water has risen to unprecedented levels,' said Jacques Witkowski, prefect of the Bouches-du-Rhône department, expressing his thoughts for 'all those who are in distress'. In the towns of Mouriès and Saint-Martin-de-Crau, between Montpellier and Marseille, dozens of residents were affected, while roads and train lines across the area were disrupted, Transport Minister Philippe Tabarot said. Corsica was also hit by the severe weather, where local media reported a 4x4 vehicle was swept away by floodwaters.

The same storm had already battered eastern Spain, where at least three people were killed. Several towns along the Mediterranean coast were cut off by floodwaters, while helicopters were deployed to reach stranded residents. Spain's Military Emergencies Unit recovered the body of a woman in Oliva, Valencia, and the bodies of two other women were found over the weekend, one washed up on a beach.

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez promised national government resources for the response, and the Valencian government approved a €23.5m (£20m) aid package for those affected.

Meanwhile, more severe weather is forecast, with Storm Austen — a newly named system — prompting an orange-level wind warning from Météo-France for five western departments, including Finistère, Morbihan and Manche.