A man missing after floodwaters swept away his vehicle on the French island of Corsica was found dead late on Tuesday, according to broadcaster BFMTV, citing local prefecture reports.
The victim, a man in his sixties, was travelling with a woman when a swollen river dragged their car away in the commune of Ghisonaccia. The woman managed to escape safely, but the man disappeared into the rushing water before rescue teams recovered his body.
The fatality occurred as a powerful Mediterranean storm system brought torrential downpours to southeastern France. Corsica bore the brunt of the severe weather.
A meteorological station at the Solenzara air base recorded 612 millimetres of rain within a single 24-hour period. BFMTV reported that this total equals five times the typical average rainfall for the entire month of October in that region.
The heavy rainfall inundated roads and left dozens of vehicles stranded in deep water. Emergency services launched rescue operations to evacuate trapped motorists, while others received overnight shelter as transportation routes became completely impassable.
In a separate incident on Tuesday, firefighters recovered another body in Saint-Mitre-les-Remparts. This discovery in the southern Bouches-du-Rhone department followed an extensive search operation that used a helicopter.
Firefighters stated that the precise circumstances surrounding the second fatality are being investigated.
Weather conditions have since improved across the affected regions. BFMTV reported that the severe weather episode has ended, and no French departments remain under an orange weather alert.
