Floods in France, Italy swept bodies out of cemeteries

grim job of searching for flood victims in Alpine vills and on nearby French and Italian coasts has grown even more gruesome: Along with storm casualties, authorities say corpses from cemeteries have also been found around Mediterranean shore, apparently swept down mountain by violent rains.

A total of 12 deaths have been reported since storm pounded France’s Alpes-Maritimes region and Italy’s rthwestern regions of Liguria and Piedmont starting Friday – four on French side, eight on Italian side.

More than 600 rescuers and ors were searching Tuesday for some 20 people still missing, according to a spokeswoman for Alpes-Maritimes regional administration.

Corpses uneard from cemeteries have washed up on Italian side, she told Associated Press. She could t say how many or where y came from, and it was unclear wher bodies were among eight reported dead in Italy from storm. Italian local authorities could t immediately be reached for comment.

cemetery corpses were in such an advanced state of decomposition that y were clearly distinguishable from recent storm victims, French spokeswoman said.

Local authorities have said cemeteries in French towns of Saint-Martin-de-Vesubie and Tende were partially washed out by floods. Tende Mayor Jean-Pierre Vassallo told Le Parisien newspaper that vill cemetery “was cut in two” and bodies were uneard.

Forensic police working to identify dead are among security forces, firefighters, rescue divers and ors helping Tuesday in continuing search and cleanup effort, according to a spokesman for France’s national gendarme service.

Police are going door-to-door to check on people reported as missing in hamlets where roads, electricity, communications and water supplies were cut off by storm, spokesman said.

Neir spokesperson was authorized to be publicly named according to official policy.

Some roads were still blocked by debris Tuesday, so helicopters are delivering supplies to cut-off populations.

“It’s a catastrophic situation, this has t happened in a thousand years," said Georges Pomarede, a retired police officer clearing out his home in town of Breil-sur-Roya. "All of that is gone, more campground, stadium, more swimming pool, more shops, a hotel is gone, ... entire houses swallowed by floods. It’s a phemenal disaster.”