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Floods in Corsica: Two people died, while their daughter was rescued after the family’s car was swept away by a flash flood

Riana Gegiu

6 November 2026, 15:32

International

Foto: Shutterstock.com

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Two people died in the severe flooding that hit the French island of Corsica after the car they were traveling in with their daughter was swept away by a flash flood. The girl managed to save herself by clinging to a tree, while the vehicle was swallowed by the rapidly rising waters.

The flooding affected large areas of the island, and approximately 120 people were sheltered in a sports hall. Access to several localities is difficult after roads were covered by water, while rescue teams are facing difficulties in carrying out their operations.

French Interior Minister Laurent Nunez announced that a 40-year-old woman had been rescued. A firefighter who took part in the operations was taken to hospital with hypothermia.

France's weather service, Meteo-France, issued flood and torrential rain warnings for Corsica and several regions in southern France. Since the storm began on Wednesday afternoon, up to 350 millimeters of precipitation have accumulated in some areas. The waters flooded roads and caused major disruptions to transport and emergency response operations.

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Context: other areas in southern Europe and the eastern Mediterranean had already been hit by extreme weather events

Before the floods in Corsica, several countries in the region reported torrential rain and severe storms: on the island of Rhodes (Greece), the rains turned roads into flash floods, while schools were closed as a precaution in affected localities. During the same period, Istanbul was flooded, with authorities also announcing the highest rainfall totals since 1985 in some areas, along with nighttime rescues and the suspension of school classes.

Southern Western Europe also experienced similar episodes: two tornadoes were recorded in Sicily, while in Spain (Catalonia), a storm described as a “Mediterranean mini-hurricane” led to deaths and dozens of emergency calls, with basements and parking lots flooded. Meanwhile, Crete and the islands in the Aegean Sea were on alert because of the rain and storms, including school closures and warnings of further flooding.