Lourdes launches emergency appeal after floods damage shrine

Lourdes at night from the air

Clean-up operations at Lourdes enabled small groups of pilgrims to visit the Grotto on Tuesday after the River Gave overflowed its banks at the weekend, swamping the shrine with mud and debris. Repairs are estimated to cost about two million euros (1.7 million pounds).

Workers have cleared away a thick carpet of mud from the shrine, and many areas are accessible to pilgrims again, but visits to the baths have been suspended while the water pumps are cleaned and repaired.

Most of the damage took place at the hydroelectric power plant and the bridges at the height of the flood, as fallen trees carried in the surging waters crashed into them, a spokesman said.

The Sanctuary has received many messages and calls from concerned pilgrims asking how they can donate to the repair work. For more information, visit the Lourdes website here: http://en.lourdes-france.org/ (click on 'Flood Solidarity' to make a donation)