16 dead, 3 missing after huge downpours flood parts of French Riviera
October 04, 2015  18:45
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Horrific accounts of people drowning in a retirement home and being trapped in a road tunnel by floodwater have emerged after the French Riviera was hit by extreme downpours.

Rainfall on an "exceptional scale" set off flash floods that wreaked havoc along France's southeastern Mediterranean coast late Saturday, killing at least 16 people and leaving three more missing, authorities said.

"The assessment isn't yet complete, which just goes to show the intensity of what happened," the French presidency said on its official Twitter account.

As much as 180 millimeters (7 inches) of rain in a span of three hours inundated parts of the Alpes-Maritimes district late Saturday, authorities said. The area is home to famous seaside resorts such as Nice, Cannes and Antibes.

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