2 dead as floods ravage south-west France

Two people have died and thousands been forced to evacuate their homes in heavy floods that have caused widespread destruction in south-west France, authorities said Wednesday. According to dpa, torrential rains and rising temperatures, which have melted snow in the Pyrenees mountains, have caused some of the worst flooding in the region in 30 years. Several rivers burst their banks. The town of Lourdes, which lies on the banks of the Gave de Pau river, suffered extensive destruction after the river surged to 4.5 metres above its normal level. Two elderly people were swept away by the floods. Interior Minister Manuel Valls said Wednesday a 75-year-old man who went missing in Luz-Saint-Sauveur, close to the Spanish border, had been found dead.