Heavy rains cause floods in Southern France

Eleven people have been killed and two are still missing after torrential rains caused flash flooding in southern France.Gushing water turned streets into rivers and swept up trees and cars sending residents scurrying to safety on rooftops. The drama happened in the town of Draguignan about an hour west of Cannes, where the annual film festival is held.Rescuers scrambled overnight to help hundreds of people trapped in their vehicles and houses while helicopters were sent in to airlift residents to safety. Floodwaters reached more than six feet in some areas as 12 inches of rain fell in as many hours. Regional officials reported that 1,200 people had spent the night in shelters and up to 200,000 homes were without electricity. The SNCF has now cancelled all services between the coastal towns of Toulon and Saint-Raphael until Thursday, saying three kilometres (2m) of tracks are completely flooded. Water levels in Draguignan have dropped slightly but heavy rains are still battering the towns of Roquebrune and Frejus, not far from the Riviera resort of Saint-Tropez.