A 12-year-old boy and a 59-year-old man have died as a result of severe thunderstorms that swept across France last night. At least four people were seriously injured. More than 100,000 households were left without power as strong winds and heavy rain caused damage across the country.
Two dead, 17 injured and 100,000 homes without power after severe storms in France
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In Tarn-et-Garonne, in southwestern France, a 12-year-old boy was killed when he was hit by a falling tree and landed in a river, according to French media.
In Mayenne, further west, a 59-year-old man died while riding a quad bike after he hit a tree that had fallen onto the road. One person is in a critical condition in Nièvre and 16 others were injured.
According to the country’s civil protection authorities, 110,000 households were temporarily without power at the height of the storm, mainly in the centre of the country. Many villages are still without electricity. Train services were severely disrupted yesterday evening and today.
The storm is heading towards Belgium but will weaken somewhat, according to Météo France.
Performance interrupted
Significant damage has been reported in several regions. In Allier and Côte d’Or, in the centre of the country, wind gusts of over 130km/hr were recorded.
In Paris, many streets were flooded and several trees were knocked down. The session of the National Assembly had to be postponed due to several water leaks.
In the Grand Palais, where a performance was taking place at the time, water seeped through the roof. The hall was partially flooded and the performance was interrupted to evacuate the audience.
There was a tremendous amount of wind and many branches fell on our property, but fortunately nothing was damaged
The water level of the Seine rose to the banks, flooding roads in some places. Several metro stations had to close.
France has been battling a heatwave for seven days. Last night, 44 departments were still under code orange for storms.
Flemish man Tom runs a bed and breakfast in the department of Lot, in the south of France. “There was a tremendous amount of wind and many branches fell on our property, but fortunately nothing was damaged,” he says.
“Everywhere in the neighbourhood, you can see trees that have been blown over, especially large oak trees that were no longer firmly anchored in the ground. You can even see the path the storm took from the trail of branches and trees. Almost all the streets around us were closed off last night. Some people from the neighbourhood tried to clear up the trees with chainsaws, but they were often too big.”