Tornado causes massive damage in southern France, injures 41 people
A powerful tornado with winds reaching 32.5 m/s tore through southwestern France on Monday, injuring 41 people and damaging around 300 homes. The village of Pomas was hit hardest, and thousands of households lost power.
A powerful tornado swept through several villages in southwestern France on Monday, leaving significant destruction in its wake. Wind speeds reached up to 32.5 meters per second, tearing off roofs and damaging roughly 300 homes.
Local authorities reported that 41 people were injured, with 15 taken to hospital. Among the injured is a pregnant woman who suffered trauma after a house collapsed on her. More than 120 emergency workers were deployed to assist in the affected area.
Worst-hit village
The small village of Pomas suffered the most damage. Images captured by eyewitnesses showed uprooted trees, wrecked cars and debris from collapsed homes. Due to the extreme weather, around 2,800 households across ten villages were left without electricity.
France's national weather service issued an orange warning for thunderstorms covering a large part of the country's southwest on Monday.
Disruption to travel and sport
The storm also disrupted air travel, with flight delays and cancellations reported at airports in Bordeaux, Marseille, Nice, Toulouse and north of Paris, according to Transport Minister Philippe Tabarot. Authorities in the Aude department also cancelled part of the third stage of the Vuelta a España cycling race in the region, after hail in the Pyrenees had earlier forced riders to seek shelter.
According to France's national meteorological service, the country records several dozen tornadoes on average each year. This storm system struck shortly after Europe endured prolonged heatwaves and wildfires, with southwestern France hit hardest — wildfires there destroyed around 42,000 hectares of forest.
