Bouches-du-Rhône Floods: 3 Dead and Emergency Responders Deployed
Floods in Bouches-du-Rhône Leave Three Dead and Thousands Disruptions Behind
Three people are dead and one person is injured following exceptional floods that struck the Bouches-du-Rhône department, according to a Wednesday evening update from the prefecture. State authorities and emergency response teams have deployed five reinforcement columns of firefighters from Hérault and Haute-Garonne, alongside civil security military units equipped for heavy pumping operations.
Prefect Jacques Witkowski described the severity of the crisis, stating that the water is rising to unprecedented levels. In Saint-Martin-de-Crau, 250 residents have been housed in tailored reception centers, while three others received care in Mouriès.
Power Outages and Telecommunication Failures in Saint-Martin-de-Crau and Arles
Electrical grids remain severely compromised across Saint-Martin-de-Crau and Arles due to the floodwaters. Enedis work crews are deployed to restore power connections. At the same time, a nationwide telecommunication outage affecting Orange has compounded the difficulties, disrupting emergency communications between municipal governments and local residents.
Authorities issued an official FR-Alert warning to mobile phones across the impacted zones. The prefecture advises residents in the worst-hit areas to avoid all non-essential travel.
Road Closures and Rail Disruptions Across the Region
Transportation infrastructure remains heavily restricted. Several key roadways are closed or operating under strict detours. The RD9 is shut at the Bricard roundabout and in the Martigues-La Couronne direction. On the A55, traffic is squeezed down to a single lane near Châteauneuf-les-Martigues, and the La Mède slip road toward Marseille is neutralized following a landslide.
Additional road closures include the RN113 closed between Arles and Salon-de-Provence, the RN568 shut in both directions up to La Fosette, and the RN569 blocked between Miramas and Salon. Highway junctions on the A54 and A7 remain closed around Salon-de-Provence, though traffic toward Marseille and Lyon is open.
Railway operations present a mixed picture. High-speed lines and regional links from Marseille to Aix and Toulon are running normally. However, the Marseille-Miramas line via the Côte Bleue faces disruptions without bus substitutions, while the route via Rognac relies on 25 deployed replacement buses.
Prefecture Seeks Natural Catastrophe State for Faster Compensation
Local authorities have initiated preliminary procedures with insurance providers to accelerate compensation for material damages. The prefecture also submitted an expedited request to state entities for an official recognition of a natural catastrophe state.