France flash floods: Nun among 10 killed after violent storms hit Aude region in south-west

At least 10 people including a nun have died following violent storms and flash floods in south-west France, according to local officials.

The Catholic sister — who has not yet been named — died in Villardonnel, a village near Carcassonne, in the Aude region last night.

Her body was found by rescue workers at about 3.30am after rising waters breached her property.

Initially, the French interior ministry announced 13 deaths from the floods in the Aude region.

But French prime minister Edouard Philippe said after visiting damaged areas that the number was corrected to 10.

Authorities said some victims had been counted twice.

Mayor Luciano Stella said: “[The nun] was carried away by a build-up of water behind her house.

"She thought she was safe behind locked doors and windows, but the water burst in.”

Another person died when a house collapsed in Cuxac-d’Aude, and four people were killed near Villegailhenc, where water reached first-floor windows.

Villardonnel and Conques-sur-Orbiel were worst hit. One river rose 19ft.

People remain stranded on rooftops today. Aude prefect Alain Thirion said: “We’re going to have to use aircraft to evacuate them as we can’t reach them by boat given the force of the water.”

The area was hit by several months of rain in a few hours. Meteorologists said exceptionally warm sea water had intensified seasonal rain.

In Villegailhenc, Ines Siguet said the waters rose so quickly that people were stranded on the roofs of their homes and carried by helicopter to safety.

She posted video of the ripped-up road where the bridge used to be, with the town now cut in half.

"There's nothing left, there's just a hole," she told The Associated Press. "It was very violent."

Other roads were also flooded, leaving the town cut off, said the 17-year-old, whose school was closed.

The Aude river reached flood levels not seen in over 100 years, the French agency responsible for monitoring water levels.

Firemen responded to more than 250 calls overnight, as 160 to 180 mm (6 to 7 inches) of rain fell in the fortress city of Carcassonne.

Six other departments were also hit by the storms from the eastern Pyrenees to Aveyron further north.

Television images showed waters coursing through towns and villages, with cars stranded in the floodwaters.

Schools were closed and authorities were urging people to stay at home.

France is on course for its hottest year since 1900.