A river in southwestern France bursts its banks.<br/> <br />Torrential rain caused flooding in the city of Lourdes, forcing authorities to evacuate 450 Catholic pilgrims.<br/> <br />Rescuers used boats to ferry people to safety since many roads were completely underwater.<br/> <br />Officials say the area rarely sees rains like these.<br/> <br />(French) OFFICER IN CHARGE OF WATERCOURSES FOR THE MIDI PYRENEES REGION, FREDERIC DUPLAN, SAYING:<br/> <br />"Concerning the flow of the water, it's hard to say but it's probably 200 cubic meters per second. It's very impressive and very rare as we normally are in a region where rises in the water level like this happen every thirty or forty years."<br/> <br />French authorities say it will be days before things return to normal.
