Flash floods submerge southern French villages

Emergency workers have rescued and evacuated hundreds of people in southern France as flash flooding abruptly turned roads and fields into rivers and lakes.

As new heavy rainfall threatened the area on Wednesday, the emergency service for the Gard region said rescuers were searching for at least one person reported missing after the Tuesday evening flood.

No casualties have been reported, but local authorities said the rains caused significant damage to homes and infrastructure across towns and villages between Nimes and Montpellier.