Two motorists were swept away by water in the south of Reunion Island, affected by torrential rains since Sunday afternoon, we learned from the gendarmerie on Monday.
A motorist was swept away by the waves of a swollen river while he was driving, early Monday morning, on a road in the village of Petite-Ile (south of Reunion). He was later found deceased in his vehicle.
On Sunday, a car with several people on board was swept away by water in Saint-Louis (south of Reunion). The passengers were able to escape from the car and are safe. But the driver, a doctor by profession, was unable to get out. Searches are underway to find him.
“Things are happening that we haven’t seen in a long time”
Both accidents occurred after heavy downpours fell on the southern half of the island. Due to the deterioration of the road network, several roads are flooded, all schools in nine southern municipalities remained closed this Monday.
“Things are happening that we haven’t seen for a long time,” commented Serge Hoareau, mayor of Petite-Ile. “Where the tragedy occurred, the ravine had not flooded since Cyclone Firinga in 1989,” added the mayor.
The soils and waterways of Reunion Island are waterlogged and weakened by the heavy rains from cyclone Belal and storm Candice which have irrigated the island over the last fortnight.