Two people died on Wednesday evening as a result of severe weather in France. Seventeen people were injured. As a result of a heatwave, almost the entire country was hit by severe thunderstorms. These have caused considerable damage.
A 12-year-old boy died when he was hit by a fallen tree in the southern Tarn-et-Garonne. In Mayenne, in the west, a 59-year-old man died when he crashed his quad bike into a fallen tree.
In Patay, in the center of the country, about 110 kilometers southwest of Paris, an 82-year-old man was seriously injured. He was struck by lightning and rushed to the hospital. According to the fire department, his life is not in danger. Another sixteen people across the country suffered minor injuries.
The thunderstorms also caused damage in various parts of France. News channel BFMTV reports that 100,000 households are without power throughout the country. In Valailles, a church tower collapsed.
In Paris, metro stations flooded and the streets were under water. The strong wind blew objects across the street and knocked over trees. The Paris fire department said it received many calls and asked on X to call only in case of an emergency.
Just before the storm broke, it was over 35 degrees in Paris. The temperature also rose above 35 degrees in other places. France is thus experiencing the first heatwave of the season. The national weather service Méteo-France had issued an orange code for a large part of the country due to the heatwave and the expected severe weather. That warning has now been withdrawn.