A tornado ripped through the village of Pomas in southern France on Monday, leaving 41 people injured, including 15 who were taken to hospital. The storm, with winds reaching 73mph, tore roofs off buildings and damaged roughly 300 homes in the area.
Emergency response and damage
More than 120 emergency workers were deployed to Pomas, a small village in the Aude department of the Occitanie region, which bore the brunt of the storm. Footage shows a huge swirling vortex near houses and trees before the tornado struck. Trees were completely ripped from the ground, and cars were badly damaged, with piles of rubble from destroyed homes.
Among the injured was a pregnant woman whose home collapsed on top of her. A resident named Chantal told French radio: 'I heard this massive noise… then I saw everything flying around in the air and my roof collapsed. I've got no house left, that's for sure.'
Widespread disruption
The tornado struck as parts of south-west France were placed under an orange thunderstorm warning. The severe weather left around 2,800 homes in 10 villages without electricity, and transport networks were also affected. The third stage of the Vuelta a España cycling race, which was in the area, was cancelled after a hailstorm in the French Pyrenees forced riders to seek shelter.
Airports including Bordeaux, Marseille, Nice, and Toulouse, as well as airports north of Paris, saw delays and cancellations, according to Transport Minister Philippe Tabarot. France's national weather service, Météo-France, says the country experiences several dozen tornadoes every year.
Broader context
The latest storms follow a summer of extreme weather across Europe, with record-breaking heatwaves and wildfires affecting several countries. France's south-west has been particularly badly hit, with one of the country's largest forest fires since the Second World War already burning around 42,000 hectares.
