Floods force evacuation of Lourdes pilgrims
- 12 years ago
A river in southwestern France bursts its banks.
Torrential rain caused flooding in the city of Lourdes, forcing authorities to evacuate 450 Catholic pilgrims.
Rescuers used boats to ferry people to safety since many roads were completely underwater.
Officials say the area rarely sees rains like these.
(French) OFFICER IN CHARGE OF WATERCOURSES FOR THE MIDI PYRENEES REGION, FREDERIC DUPLAN, SAYING:
"Concerning the flow of the water, it's hard to say but it's probably 200 cubic meters per second. It's very impressive and very rare as we normally are in a region where rises in the water level like this happen every thirty or forty years."
French authorities say it will be days before things return to normal.
Torrential rain caused flooding in the city of Lourdes, forcing authorities to evacuate 450 Catholic pilgrims.
Rescuers used boats to ferry people to safety since many roads were completely underwater.
Officials say the area rarely sees rains like these.
(French) OFFICER IN CHARGE OF WATERCOURSES FOR THE MIDI PYRENEES REGION, FREDERIC DUPLAN, SAYING:
"Concerning the flow of the water, it's hard to say but it's probably 200 cubic meters per second. It's very impressive and very rare as we normally are in a region where rises in the water level like this happen every thirty or forty years."
French authorities say it will be days before things return to normal.