Europe floods: Death toll rises to seven as heavy rains batter France, Italy and Greece

At least seven people have died as heavy rain hit the Riviera coasts of France and Italy as well as parts of western Greece.

Travellers have been trapped in their cars with roads remaining closed on Monday on the French Riviera.

In Italy, rivers were also still rising in Italy after the weekend flooding.

The administration for France's Var region said four people died, including a couple in their 70s whose car got submerged.

A civil defence helicopter taking part in rescue operations in flooded areas in France on Monday. (AFP via Getty Images)

Another died after a French rescue boat sank in the Mediterranean and another was found dead in a car.

In Greece, the bodies of the two men believed to be tourists were recovered late on Sunday and early Monday near the port of Antirio, 155 miles west of Athens after a sailboat they were using was caught in the severe weather.

People ride on a small boat next to partially submerged cars on a flooded street after heavy rains in Le Muy, southeastern France (AFP via Getty Images)

In northern Italy, a woman was found dead after the Bomida river swept away her car.

Rescuers are also searching for possible victims after a landslide caused the collapse of a stretch of an elevated road near the flooded city of Savona.

A man walks past a car moved by the force of flood water after storms in Kineta village in Greece (AP)

Firefighter commander Emanuele Gizzi told SKY TG24 on Monday that "we still don't have the certainty that there is absolutely no one" missing.

Drivers who witnessed the collapse were able to stop in time.

Firefighters walk across a flooded street with a dinghy for residents to evacuate, in the village of Carde, south of Turin. (AFP via Getty Images)

There were no reports of witnesses seeing vehicles fall with the roadway, but the search continued as a precaution.

Meanwhile, the level of the Ticino River in the Lombard city of Pavia was continuing to rise, flooding streets by about 15cm and forcing some residents to evacuate.

In France, rivers started receding slowly but many families who evacuated still could not return home.

Authorities worked to restore electricity and clear roads of fallen trees and mud.

In Greece, hundreds of homes were flooded following an overnight storm that affected areas west of Athens.

Torrential rain and mudslides caused the closure of the road linking the Greek capital to the western port city of Patras.

The worst flooding occurred at the seaside resort of Kineta, where mudslides came from a nearby forest fire-damaged hillside.

Several dozen people trapped in their cars and in flooded homes were rescued by the fire service.