Five have been killed in Corsica including a 72-year-old woman whose car was struck by a beach hut roof
At least 12 have been injured including one critically amid the hurricane-force winds and huge downpours
Mainland France has also been hit by violet storms although the north is still in the midst of its drought
France has been battered by deadly 140mph storms with five people killed in swirling hurricane-force winds in Corsica as floodwater gushes through the island.
Terrifying footage shows debris flying through airports, hail pummelling homes and destroying windows, and chairs and trees being ripped out and hurtling through the sky.
A teenage girl and an elderly woman were among the dead as hail, heavy rain and winds swept across the island as mainland France – which has been hit by a series of heatwaves and severe drought – saw more rain in just a few hours than in recent months combined.
A 13-year-old girl died when a tree fell on a campsite in Sagone and a 72-year-old woman was killed when her car was struck by a beach hut roof in Coggia, authorities said.
The third victim was a 46-year-old man who died when a tree fell on a bungalow in Calvi.
At least twelve people were injured, including one critically, and rescue operations were under way offshore, authorities added.
French weather forecaster Meteo France said the island, a popular tourist destination, was hit by ‘violent thunderstorms with strong tornado-like gusts… causing significant damage.’
It subsequently lifted a major storm warning, indicating the worst had passed for the Mediterranean island
About 45,000 households were without power on the island because of the storms, according to French electricity company EDF.
The president of the Executive Council of Corsica, Gilles Simeoni, described a brief yet ‘extremely violent and entirely unpredictable’ weather event that lasted ‘dozens of minutes’.
Mr Simeoni told news broadcaster BFM TV that French president Emmanuel Macron phoned him to share ’emotion’ and ‘solidarity’.
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