On sunday,Rescue services started to search and rescue the people in the wake of massive flooding in southeastern France and northwestern Italy.
Rescue efforts are concentrated more on the Roya Valley in France near the Italian border, where some 1,000 firefighters resumed their search hoping to find survivors. Eight people are missing on the French side and two on the Italian side as of Sunday.
Emergency services have recovered at least four bodies Sunday in the Liguria region on the Mediterranean coast, Italy’s ANSA news agency reported.
Seven bodies were found in the region straddling the French-Italian on Sunday, officials in both countries told Reuters news agency.
Italian and French teams were working together to identify the bodies.
Storm Alex barreled through France’s western coast on Thursday before making its way into Italy on Friday and Saturday. The amount of rainfall in parts of Italy hadn’t been seen in some 60 years.
Many villages in both countries have been cut off, with rescue workers needing to provide food and fresh water.
“I have been particularly shocked by what I saw today,” French Prime Minister Jean Castex told a news conference after visiting affected areas, adding he was concerned that the death toll could rise.
Officials in the Piedmont region reported a record 630 mm (24.8 inches) of rain in just 24 hours in Sambughetto, close to the border with Switzerland. The Piedmont regional chief Alberto Cirio called on the government to declare a state of emergency.
The water level in the River Po jumped by 3 metres (9.84 feet) in just 24 hours.
