At least nine people have died after drowning I rough Mediterranean seas in the south of France, said officials.
They were swept out to sea while swimming in choppy waters on several different beaches on the south coast.
High winds had stirred up the seas, causing a swell, reported French media.
Five people in their 60s and 70s died in Herault, two aged 58 and 71 died in Bouches-du-Rhone and another two died on a beach in Leucate, Aude.
Emergency services in Herault said they had tried to save 12 people drowning off beaches in Agde, La Grande-Motte, Marseillan, Serignan and Vias. Seven were rescued but five died.
The region was then placed on an orange alert for thunderstorms, rain and floods.
“I cannot understand how people got into the water when the seas were rough,” Jordan Dartier, the mayor of Vias, told French broadcaster LCI. One man drowned there after reportedly falling from rocks.
“It’s a dramatic day for our region,” he added.
Herault’s fire and rescue service had urged people to avoid swimming.
“Choppy seas are making water activities dangerous,” the service tweeted in the afternoon, with a video of waves crashing into the shoreline.
