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By Ian Sparks
Parked cars float in flood water in the city of Draguignan in south-east France. At least 15 people were swept to their deaths in the flooding that was yesterday caused by torrential rainBritish tourists are feared caught in flash floods that killed at least 15 peoplein the south of France yesterday.
Torrential rain caused rivers in the Var region east of Marseilles to rise by up to 8ft, forcing hundreds of people to seek safety on the roofs of their homes.
Hundreds more were trapped in their floating vehicles as water flooded roads in towns and villages on Tuesday evening.
Piled high: People walk by damaged cars swept away yesterday by heavy rain in DraguignanTwelve people remain missing as flood waters in the city of Draguignan remained at about 6.5ft high.
British and Dutch tourists have been left stranded at badly flooded local camp sites, it has been reported.
David Whiting, 72, the stepson of Lord Dowding, who commanded the RAF to victory in the Battle of Britain, said many tourists are stranded in the town of Frejus.
'It is absolute chaos,' Mr Whiting, he lives in the region, told the London Evening Standard. 'It’s complete devastation in some parts of the region.
'Hundreds of tourists didn’t have enough warning and had to get out of camp sites when the flood waters started coming in.
'Camp sites in the area have been left under two metres of water and people have lost all of their possessions. Many of the tourists are now stranded in local supermarket car parks. They don’t know what to do.'
Residents observe the swirling waters of the Nartuby River in Trans-en-Provence today. Water levels in the region's rivers rose by 8ft
WreckageL: Shops and residences in Les Arcs sur Argens were left in ruinsHelicopters airlifted people to safety as more than 1,000 thousand emergency workers were drafted in for the rescue operations.
More than 1,000 local residents had to spend the night in schools and other temporary accommodation.
Engineers are now battling to restore power to around 175,000 homes in the region that have been left without electricity.
Officials said the freak weather was the worst to hit the area for a decade.
Rescue vehicles lie submerged in flood water this morning after yesterday's torrential rain
Trapped: A rescue worker helps evacuate a woman from the Var region near MarseillesA spokesman for Interior Minister Brice Hortefeux said he would visit the region later today.
Hugues Parant, the top official for the Var department, said: 'We haven't seen anything like this in a decade.
Seven inches of rain fell within 12 hours, and even more in the mountains.'
The rising water also trapped a high speed train travelling from the southern city of Nice to Lille in the north with 450 passengers on board.
By this morning 12 people were still reported as missing.
Rescuers said they were probably trapped by water and waiting for flooding to subside.
Evacuated: 450 passengers are led away from a TGV train at Le Cannet des Maures in south France last night
Employees of a private hospital in Dragiugnan survey the damage to its patient waiting room
The area surrounding Draguignan has been the worst hit by the floods[endtext]