Weather Storms cause chaos in France and Spain 03/11 02:46 CET
Heavy rain and strong winds have caused chaos across a swathe of central France and Northern Spain.
Five French regions have been placed on red alert after flooding led to hundreds of people being evacuated from their homes.
Firefighters answered 400 emergency calls in the Loire department alone, where major road and rail routes were affected, power supplies were cut off and a footbridge was swept away by the torrent.
Dozens of people were given temporary shelter after floods in several towns to the west of the city of Lyon left their homes underwater.
In Spain, most of the damage was caused by gusts of wind measuring up to 160 kilometres an hour.
A campsite in Salou was flooded and a woman injured, while the rail link between Barcelona and Valencia was suspended for several hours.
The region of Tarragona south of Barcelona was worst-hit, with firefighters dealing with more than 500 call-outs.
The bad weather has also been blamed for a gas blast in the town of Almoster, in which two people were injured.
Euronews.com
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France - Weather
Floods force hundreds to evacuate homes
Torrential rains have forced the hundreds of families to evacuate their homes in east-central France. Access to two major highways was also cut and some areas suffered power-cuts, rescue workers reported.
Torrential rains on Sunday forced the evacuation of hundreds of homes in east-central France and cut two major highways, rescue services said.
More storms were on the way in the same region and were set to extend to the south, said France's meteorological office, which warned drivers to avoid minor roads and told people living in floodable zones to take precautions.
A fisherman reported missing after having gone out in his boat Saturday on the Loire river, which was rising rapidly due to the heavy rain, turned out to be safe at home.
He told police he had called off his trip because of the weather. Police divers and a rescue helicopter had been called out to search for him Sunday.
On Sunday, the A6 motorway, France's main north-south axis, was closed for several hours due to flooding between Paris and Lyon.
The A46 between Lyon and Saint-Etienne to the south was also closed down by the flooding and rail officials said trains services in the area would be cancelled at least until Tuesday.
Hundreds of people had to be evacuated from their homes in various regions in east-central France due to the flooding or for fear of rivers bursting their banks, officials said
Some areas suffered power cuts due to the rains that belted down overnight Saturday-Sunday, causing mudslides in some areas as well as damage to homes, businesses and vehicles.
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