At least six people have been killed by torrential rains in the southwestern region of Udde after heavy rains overnight, a government official said Monday.
"Six helicopters help rescue people stranded on rooftops, but bad weather makes the situation difficult," Reuters quoted government official Allan Thierryn as saying on the BBC television.
"People are stranded on rooftops, and we will have to use planes to evacuate them, because we can not reach them by boat because of the power of the water," he said.
The villages of Cunque-sur-Orpiel and Villardonneil were among the most affected areas, with water rising up to the windows of the first floor of some houses.
At least one person was washed away by the water during his sleep, he said. Television footage showed raging rivers, trees, columns of broken light and cars washed away by water.
The water level is expected to continue to rise in the region on Monday as rain continues until morning.
The schools were shut down and I asked the residents to stay in their homes.
Heavy rains are unusual in France at this time of year, but meteorologists said unusually high sea temperatures along the Mediterranean coast in southern France could be the cause of heavy rains.
According to the Meteorological Agency, this is the warmest year in France since 1900.
