Tornado ripped through the southwestern French village of Pomas on the 24th of August, injuring 41 people and damaging hundreds of homes, the BBC reports.
Local authorities said 15 people were taken to hospital, including a pregnant woman whose house collapsed while she was inside. Winds reached more than 32 metres per second during the tornado, tearing roofs off buildings and damaging around 300 homes. More than 120 rescue workers are working at the scene.
French authorities have issued an orange alert for severe thunderstorms in the southwest of the country, where power and transport have already been disrupted. According to officials, 2,800 households in ten villages are without electricity.
Authorities in the Aude region have also cancelled the third stage of the Vuelta a Espana cycling race after hail forced riders to seek shelter in the French Pyrenees.
Eyewitness video from the region showed a tornado column spinning above houses and trees on the horizon. Photos from the village of Pommes showed uprooted trees, damaged cars and the rubble of destroyed houses.
French Transport Minister Philippe Tabarot said flights had been cancelled at airports in Bordeaux, Marseille, Nice, Toulouse and northern Paris.
France is hit by dozens of tornadoes on average every year, but this time it followed unprecedented heatwaves and devastating forest fires. The southwest of the country has suffered the most damage, with one of the largest wildfires since World War II burning 42,000 hectares.
The post VIDEO | Tornado hits France; dozens injured appeared first on Baltic News Network.
