Reunion is on yellow alert for heavy rain and thunderstorms. Many ravines are in flood. Yesterday, Sunday January 28, a doctor disappeared in La Rivière Saint-Louis. The car he was in was swept away by the waves at the “Tournant Mounien” riffle of the Everyne ravine. Aerial searches are underway. Another man, around fifty years old, was found dead in Petite-Ile.
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A new episode of heavy rain fell yesterday, Sunday January 28, in the south of the island. All of Reunion Island is on yellow alert for heavy rain and storms.
The rains caused heavy flooding. At the Saint-Louis River, a man in his thirties was swept away by the waves, at the “Tournant Mounien” riffle of the Everyne ravine.
This Monday morning, a second man was found dead in his vehicle, in an arm of the Charrié ravine.
The young man allegedly tried to cross the “Tournant Mounien” screed by car yesterday evening. Under the force of the waves, his vehicle was dragged into the ravine. The emergency doctor from Saint-Pierre then left the cabin, before being swept away by the force of the water. According to our information, he was alone in the car.
This Monday, January 29, the high mountain gendarmerie platoon is trying to find the young man.
Aerial searches have yielded nothing so far. Cleaning operations on the base were launched this Monday morning, to facilitate searches.
According to local residents, water rarely rises this high in the ravine. She took everything in her path. The research is complicated, believes Major Frédéric Armardeil, the deputy commander of the PGHM of Réunion.
We are taking advantage of the low water this morning. The lower part was heavily watered and the banks were completely flattened by the rising waters. The victim may be between two blocks or between two branches.
Major Frédéric Armardeil, deputy commander of the PGHM of Réunion
At the announcement of his disappearance, the patients of the young doctor’s office in Saint-Louis were shaken. “It really was a shock for less” confides a patient.
It’s a big loss for the medical profession, it’s someone who loved his activity.
(Re)see the report from Réunion La 1ère:
An emergency doctor is missing after being swept away by the waters of the Saint-Louis River.
This Monday morning, a man in his fifties was also swept away by the waters on Petite-Île, in one of the arms of the Charrié ravine. According to our information, his car was taken away last night. His body was found in the vehicle. Investigations are underway by the gendarmerie.
The security and rescue services were “highly mobilized“last night indicates this morning the prefecture of Reunion.
In total, 23 interventions were recorded by SDIS 974, for safety and evacuations. Particularly in the municipalities of L’Étang-Salé, Les Avirons, Saint-Louis, Saint-Joseph and Saint-Pierre.
14 civil security soldiers came as reinforcements at the request of the SDIS.
Following the latest rainfall, many rivers are still at high levels.
The recession having begun, all the watercourses concerned by a state of flood vigilance go into YELLOW :
- White Ravine
- Rivière des Remparts
- Ravine des Cabris
- Langevin River
- River First