Woman whose husband was killed in terror attack loses parents in French flash floods

Floodwaters have reached seven metres high and caught people by surprise, officials say

A woman whose husband was the victim of a terrorist attack has also lost both of her parents after they drowned in flash floods, which ripped through towns in southwest France.

Martine Mazieres’ husband Jean was among four people killed in the Trebes terror attack in March this year, when a gunman stole a car and took hostages in a supermarket before being shot dead by police.

On Monday, her mother and father were named among at least 10 victims of severe flash flooding which hit the Aude region, the worst the area has seen in 100 years after several months’ worth of rain fell in several hours overnight.

The deaths were confirmed by the mayor of Trebes, where floodwaters reached as high as seven metres.

Ms Mazieres lives in the nearby town of Villedubert, and Le Parisien newspaper quoted Villedubert's mayor, Marc Rofes, as saying when he visited Ms Mazieres, “she immediately told me that she feels as though fate is conspiring against her”.

The region's top local official, Alain Thirion, said on France’s BFMTV the flood victims were mainly older people who were "surprised by the amount of rain" when storms swept in from the Mediterranean bringing an unprecedented deluge.

He said many people had to be evacuated by air after becoming stranded on their rooftops as they escaped the rising water.

Seven helicopters and about 700 emergency service workers were deployed, according to France's prime minister Edouard Philippe, who visited the area.

The death toll has been revised down from 13 after errors meant some victims were counted twice.

One person remains missing, and at least five have been badly injured.

Several smaller bridges have collapsed and a number of roads remain cut off, hampering rescue teams.