Floods and rain kill two in southern France

Two people were killed on Sunday by floods in the French Riviera, which has been hit by fresh torrential rains a week after extreme weather left six dead, authorities said.

In the Var region, a shepherd was swept away as he was trying to cross a ford in his 4x4 while tending to his flock. His body was found in his vehicle late Sunday night 300 metres downstream from where he was last seen, the prefecture said early Monday.

Elsewhere in the region, the owner of a stable was found dead two hours after he was also washed away while out watching over his animals, it said.

The Var and the neighbouring Alpes-Maritimes region were on red alert for floods which disrupted train services and cut the A8 motorway for four hours Sunday evening.

Many cultural and sporting events were also called off due to the bad weather, including Paris Saint-Germain's Ligue 1 match at Monaco.

During the previous weekend, heavy rains caused the deaths of six people in the Var.