Twelve people were listed as missing, all of them in the worst-hit department of Gard, according to the latest official toll released by authorities.

They said 25 of the deaths were in Gard, including 11 in the village of Aramon where a dike burst late on Monday and where some areas were still under two meters (seven feet) of water Tuesday.

As water levels receded and weather conditions improved, emergency workers continued to search for the missing.

Prime Minister Jean-Pierre Raffarin, who flew over the worst-hit areas to inspect the damage with Interior Minister Nicolas Sarkozy, announced he would free up 10 million euros (dollars) in emergency aid to flood victims.

"I am here to show the nation's solidarity with you," Raffarin said. "I understand all the emotion and the anger."

Sarkozy said the funds would be disbursed to local officials in the Gard, Herault and Vaucluse departments -- an important wine-producing area and popular tourist destination -- within 48 hours.

The prime minister said he would also request special aid for farmers, following storms that have battered crops, shut roads, cut phone and power lines and drinking water supplies, and forced people to flee their homes.

Rescue workers toiled through the night to pluck hundreds of stranded residents from rooftops.

In the village of Rousson, north of Nimes, a father, his two-year-old son and six-year-old daughter tried to escape rising waters by climbing a tree, but were found drowned. The man's wife survived.

A firefighter who was injured while trying to save two people trapped in their car later died of his injuries. Another victim was struck by lightning.

Officials said that up to 600 millimeters (two feet) of water fell within 24 hours in some areas -- more than the usual total rainfall over six months.

Chateauneuf-du-Pape, where wine-growers are preparing for the harvest, received some 300 millimeters of rain, meteorologists said.

The town's mayor, Jean-Pierre Boisson, told Nampa-AFP that damage was significant, but said he remained optimistic.

"Lots of people are afraid, but I remember 1964, when we had hail too. That year, we still had a good vintage. We'll know after the harvests, if we're talking about an agricultural catastrophe or not," Boisson said.

The Rhone valley wine-growers' organization said that some production facilities had been flooded and access to vineyards cut off, and that some harvests scheduled to begin this week would be pushed back.

But the association expressed hope that the grapes would dry out in coming days, with sun and north winds in the forecast.

Agriculture Minister Herve Gaymard was expected in the region on Wednesday to view the damage to area farms.

On Tuesday, tens of thousands of homes were still without running water, power or telephone service. Bottled water was made available to communities in need.

Officials for the state-owned railway SNCF said high-speed train services between Nimes and Montpellier had been restored early on Tuesday and that service on other regional lines would resume gradually.

Parts of the A7 motorway leading to the Mediterranean coast were cleared for traffic, but numerous smaller highways in the region remained closed.

Environmental expert Jacques Thorette told the Le Figaro newspaper that urbanization had made the floods more difficult to contain, as the ground in those areas absorbed less water and caused flood waters to flow more quickly.

Thorette also said modern agricultural methods were partially to blame, as larger farms and the packing down of soil in wine-growing areas also made the ground less permeable.

Nampa-AFP WEB story ENDS (NAMPA 110036)

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