Corsica and Southern France hit by record rainfall and fatal floods

Extreme weather conditions and record-breaking rainfall have caused devastating flash floods across Corsica and southern France. In Solenzara, Corsica, rainfall reached a record 196 liters per square meter in a single hour, with a six-hour total of 538.5 liters per square meter, setting an absolute record for the region.

The floods have resulted in at least four deaths in France and Corsica. In the Bouches-du-Rhône department, a 75-year-old man was swept away in Saint-Mitre-les-Remparts, and two women, aged 26 and 86, drowned in a flooded basement in Lançon-Provence. In Corsica, a 65-year-old man was found dead near Ghisonaccia after his vehicle was swept away.

Emergency services conducted large-scale rescue operations, including the evacuation of 150 people near Ghisonaccia and 21 residents from a nursing home in Prunelli-di-Fiumorbo. The storms also caused significant infrastructure damage, such as the destruction of a bridge leading to Chisa, and left approximately 8,500 households without electricity. Agricultural sectors have expressed particular concern regarding the impact on farms following a previous period of drought.