The muddy waters of the Rieutord, a tributary of the Ardèche, washed away everything in their path this Sunday morning. Including a 74 year old man. Since the end of the morning, this middle-aged man has been missing in Saint-Vincent-de-Barrès, in the center of Ardèche, after being swallowed by this river which turned into a torrent due to heavy rain.
Initial information is that the retiree was trying to save his car when the tragedy occurred, at around 10 this morning. Still outside his vehicle, a blue Toyota Rave, he was swept away by the waves in front of his house, in a place called Champauti. A video recorded by a witness showed the vehicle drifting in the turbulent waters, hazard lights on, before disappearing in the current.
“He lives with his partner. He is a good man,” said Paul Savatier, mayor of Saint-Vincent-de-Barrès, contacted by Le Dauphiné Libéré. The elected official described the sudden rise in water: “This morning, there was a fairly large rain phenomenon that was concentrated in the region. The river rose suddenly – also fell quickly – and there was also a lot of land that was stripped away. »
Considerable resources were mobilized
Faced with this alarming disappearance of people, emergency services were mobilized on a large scale. Up to 62 firefighters, including around ten water rescuers, and around fifty police officers were involved in the search. A Dragon 34 helicopter from Hérault Civil Security flew over the area, while drones scanned the banks of the Rieutord river. A command post was established at Saint-Vincent-de-Barrès.
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This research focuses in particular on the Meysse sector, around the bridge connecting Saint-Bauzile, between departmental roads D2 and D3. Both banks of the waterway are protected by rescue teams, supported by local residents. “Divers, helicopters and drones are exploring the river where the car was taken to the Rhône,” the mayor said in the afternoon.
Despite significant mobilization, searches turned up nothing throughout the day. “The search was stopped at night in Ardèche,” the prefecture said.
The prefecture confirmed that the search would resume at dawn on Monday. Only this man’s car, which disappeared in the town of Saint-Vincent-de-Barrès, was found a few kilometers downstream of Rieutord “in a very damaged condition”, he said.
The alert has been lifted but the river is still flooding
In the morning, Météo France had placed Ardèche, Drôme, Isère and Alpes-Maritimes on orange alert for heavy rain and risk of flooding. The alert was lifted for all departments in the afternoon. In less than 48 hours, almost 300 mm of rain was recorded in Ardèche. Firefighters carried out about forty interventions.
#vigilance | 🌧️
Following the heavy rain that fell in Ardèche, the prefecture reminded that vigilance remains important.
⚠️ Do not approach water flows even though flooding is underway.
⚠️ Leave traffic routes free to allow services… pic.twitter.com/95Sxjo7yC4— Prefect Ardèche (@Prefet07) November 16, 2025
“You must stay at home, even though the orange alert has been lifted, the rivers are still flooding,” warned prefect Benoît Trévisani. The call for caution comes especially after this tragedy. This is not the first time the department has been impacted by deadly severe weather. In March 2024, at least seven people, including two children, were reported missing in Gard and Ardèche due to torrential flooding.
