Violent storms and flooding have hit south-eastern France, killing at least 16 people with three more missing, officials say.

Three elderly people drowned when their retirement home near the city of Antibes was inundated with floodwater.

Others died trapped in their cars in tunnels and underground car parks as the waters rose.

French President Francois Hollande has thanked rescuers and expressed the "solidarity of the nation".

He and Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve have been visiting the affected regions.

Heavy rain hit the French Riviera, which lies on the Mediterranean coast and borders Italy, on Saturday evening.