Article Author:
Reuters
PARIS — Three people, including a teenage girl and an elderly woman, died on Thursday as hurricane-strength winds swept through Corsica, cutting out power to 45,000 homes.
Hail, heavy rains and winds measuring up to 224 km/h (140 mph) hit the French island as part of a series of heat waves and severe droughts in the country. It will rain in just a few hours more than in the last few months combined.
A 13-year-old girl died after a tree fell on her campsite and a 72-year-old woman died after her car hit the roof of a beach house, according to authorities. A third victim died after a tree fell on his bungalow, local newspaper Corse Matin reported.
French meteorologist Meteor France said the popular tourist island was hit by a "severe thunderstorm accompanied by strong tornado-like gusts...severe damage." brought," he said.
A major storm warning has since been lifted, signaling that the worst has passed for the Mediterranean island.
At least 12 people were injured, one of them in a critical condition, and rescue operations were under way offshore, officials added.
In mainland France, power grid operator Enedis said about 1,000 households were without power after the storm hit the southern Loire and Ain departments.
On Wednesday night, streets flooded in Marseille, with streams of water running down the steps of the port city, a video shared on social media revealed.
Further north, drought leaves the Loire, and the river famous for its castles along its banks is so shallow that even flat-bottomed tourist boats can hardly navigate it. (Reporting by Tassilo Hummel, Miriam Libet, Matthew Protard; Writing by Ingrid Melander; Editing by Tassilo Hummel by Robert Barthel and John Stonestreet)
