The village of Saint-Martin-Vésubie, already affected by flooding in 2020 and 2023, is once again one of the villages hit by the bad weather

A new tragedy has struck the Alpes-Maritimes as the Boréon region, already hit by storm Alex four years ago, was once again ravaged by violent storms on Monday 24 June. The devastating floods swept away bridges in the Vésubie valley, forcing the evacuation of several homes.

“Bridges have collapsed and several homes have had to be evacuated. The authorities and rescue teams are fully mobilised”, said Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin on X.

“Two fords have been washed away, but none of the bridges are under threat for the moment”, added Gaël Nofri, deputy mayor of Nice, on social networks.

To avoid any risk, 52 people, including four children, were taken to the safety of a community hall. However, the damage is considerable: the road leading to Le Boréon is submerged, the districts of Haut Boréon are isolated, and some residents are cut off from the rest of the region. Fortunately, the Maïssa bridge was preserved before being swallowed up by the waters.

Local MP Éric Ciotti expressed his support for the residents of Saint-Martin-Vésubie, who are enduring yet another ordeal as a result of the devastating weather.

Unfortunately, this is not the first time that this community has been hit by such disasters. In October 2020, storm Alex paralysed the community, causing loss of life and extensive material damage, with trees uprooted, roads collapsed and homes destroyed. Also in 2023, further flooding disrupted local life despite repair efforts undertaken over the years.

Thierry Ingigliardi, deputy mayor of Saint-Martin-Vésubie, laments that “the residents have had enough”, citing infrastructure work that he considers insufficient to prevent such disasters.