Paris – Bad weather rages in the region Hautes-Pyreneeswhere overnight floods partially inundated the sanctuary of Lourdes, forcing the closure of the grotto to visits. This was reported David Torchala, director of communications for the sanctuaryspecifying that “the water rose very quickly”, causing damage that “cannot yet be estimated”, but assuring that “there were no injuries”.
River overflows, flooding in Lourdes: grotto closed
The floods were caused by the heavy rains that they made it overflow Pau’s Gavethe watercourse that runs through the city, causing the grotto of the sanctuary of Lourdes to flood around 2am. “The water is receding at the moment,” added the same source.
With the exception of the grotto, the rest of the sanctuary is still open to the public and pilgrims are present on site, while the celebrations planned in the grotto have been postponed. Météo-France has placed the Hautes-Pyrénées region under alert for rain and flooding from yesterday until midnight today. The firefighters of the Hautes-Pyrénées confirmed that “there were many floods” this morning as well. About thirty people were brought to safety in municipal buildings by emergency services, while about 500 people were left without electricity in a commune located south of Lourdes.
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