Floods hit Saint-Tropez as rains lash south of France; EU pledges 20M euros for Bosnia

Floods hit Saint-Tropez as rains lash south of France; EU pledges 20M euros for Bosnia
by AFP Staff Writers
Vidauban, France (AFP) Oct 26, 2024
Floodwaters lapped the shopfronts in the glitzy French resort of Saint Tropez on Saturday as torrential rains closed roads and train lines across the south of the country.

Firefighters were called out at least 10 times to help people trapped in their homes and cars by rising waters in the Var region that includes the town that where Brigitte Bardot and other celebrities live.

In the port, normally dominated by the fashion-conscious on a Saturday night, water washed around the doors of stores. Several restaurant managers and shop owners were spotted trying to push the water out of their businesses with mops. Police blocked some roads.

The Saint Tropez region and Var department were among the worst hit by the rains.

In the nearby commune of Muy, shopkeeper Patrick Gaillard set up a temporary dyke to protect his business.

"It's quite onerous but it's necessary so we don't have water in the shop," he told AFP.

One father and his 11-year-old daughter had to be airlifted by helicopter from their mobile home in nearby Roquebrune-sur-Argens. Two other people were rescued from the roof of their car.

In the Gard department, one hunter had to be rescued with his five dogs on a small on a small island in the Gardon river.

Some roads were closed and rail services were suspended for Saturday and Sunday on a regional line linking Gard and Lozere, where a train derailed on Friday evening following a landslide.

EU chief pledges 20 million euros for flood-hit Bosnia
Sarajevo (AFP) Oct 25, 2024 - EU chief Ursula von der Leyen on Friday pledged 20 million euros in immediate aid for Bosnia after deadly and devastating floods.

Earlier this month, 27 people died in floods and landslides that washed away roads, railway tracks and bridges, cutting off many populated areas in central and southern Bosnia.

Most of the victims were from the village of Donja Jablanica, about 70 kilometres (43 miles) southwest of Sarajevo.

Von der Leyen visited the village on Thursday during her tour of six Balkan nations.

"At the moment right now you need immediate help ... therefore we decided to mobilise 20 million euros ($21.6 million) for immediate help right now and the in the second step the (EU) solidarity fund will support you," she told reporters in Sarajevo.

"We are by your side," von der Leyen told a joint press conference with Bosnian Prime Minister Borjana Kristo.

Local media estimate the damage in five municipalities, excluding destroyed road and railway infrastructure, at at least 89.5 million euros.

Von der Leyen started her Balkan tour on Wednesday in Albania where she pledged that membership expansion would be high on the Brussels agenda.

Discussions around EU enlargement in the Balkan region of almost 18 million people stretch back 20 years, with Brussels blowing hot and cold during that period.

The six countries -- Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, Montenegro, North Macedonia and Serbia -- are in different stages on their path towards membership in the bloc.

Later on Friday, EU chief will head to Serbia.