Thursday 18 August 2022 02:10 PM France is hit with deadly 140MPH storms killing three including girl, 13, in ... trends now
France has been battered by deadly 140mph storms with three 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.
Terrifying footage shows debris flying through an airport as violent winds ripped through the island of Corsica yesterday evening
People stand on the beach of Sagone in Coggia where boats were washed upon the French Mediterranean island of Corsica this morning
A woman tries to cut a tree which was torn down in Marato, close to Cognocoli Monticchi after strong winds on the French Mediterranean island of Corsica
French Securite Civile rescuers enter the Sagone camping in Coggia, where a tree felt on a tent amid the freak weather
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'.
A sign reading 'swimming prohibited' sits on a beach with high levels of pollution the morning after a storm passed through Marseille, southern France
On Wednesday evening in Marseille (pictured), streets were flooded and streams of water ran down steps in the port city, videos shared on social media showed
About 60 rescue operation were ongoing along the western coast of Corsica to help several grounded and wrecked ships, the French maritime authority for the Mediterranean Sea tweeted.
On France's mainland, grid operator Enedis said about 1,000 households were without power after a storm hit the southern Loire and Ain departments.
On Wednesday evening in Marseille, streets were flooded and streams of water ran down steps in the port city, videos shared on social media showed.
Further north,
