Three individuals were murdered in whirling hurricane-force winds in Corsica as floodwater gushed over the island during France’s recent spate of fatal 140 mph storms.
The horrifying video shows chairs and trees being ripped out of the ground and hurtling through the air, as well as debris flying through airports, hail pelting homes and shattering windows.
A teen girl and an elderly woman were among those killed as hail, strong winds, and rain swept across the island while mainland France, which had recently experienced a severe drought and a string of heatwaves, received more rain in a matter of hours than it had in the previous several months combined.
Authorities reported that a 13-year-old girl died when a tree fell on a campsite in Sagone and a 72-year-old woman died when the roof of a beach hut struck her car in Coggia.
A 46-year-old man was the third fatality; he was killed when a tree fell on a home near Calvi.
Authorities noted that rescue efforts were underway offshore and that at least twelve individuals had been hurt, one of them badly.
The island, a well-known tourist destination, was struck by “violent thunderstorms with strong tornado-like gusts… causing significant damage,” according to French weather forecaster Meteo France.
After that, a major storm warning was lifted, signalling that the Mediterranean island’s worst was over.
According to French electricity provider EDF, the storms left about 45,000 homes without electricity on the island.
Gilles Simeoni, the president of the Corsican Executive Council, spoke of a brief but “extremely violent and completely unpredictable” weather event that lasted “dozens of minutes.”
According to Mr. Simeoni, French President Emmanuel Macron called him to express “emotion” and “solidarity,” according to news outlet BFM TV.
The French maritime authority for the Mediterranean Sea tweeted that there were about 60 rescue operations taking place along Corsica’s western coast to assist several grounded and wrecked ships.
On the mainland of France, a storm that hit the southern Loire and Ain departments left about 1,000 homes without power, according to grid operator Enedis.
Videos posted to social media on Wednesday night showed Marseille’s streets to be flooded and streams of water running down steps.
The Loire River, which is known for the castles that line its banks, is so shallow further north due to drought that even flat-bottomed tourist barges struggle to cross it.
During a Tuesday flash flood, winds of more than 60 mph were measured at the top of the Eiffel Tower.
Yesterday evening, torrents tore through the town of l’Etrat on the outskirts of Saint-Etienne, terrifying inhabitants of one street in mainland France as they looked from their windows as the houses were smashed.
The downpour, which resembled forceful river rapids, was observed carrying away a wheelie bin and other mounds of trash.
A severe nighttime storm in northern Italy resulted in the shutdown of a railway line southeast of Genoa when strong winds blew debris from local beaches onto the tracks and damaged the electrical wiring.
The early Thursday storm occurred amid the peak beach vacation week in Italy.
Whirlwinds were predicted, according to Valentina Ghio, the mayor of Sestri Levanti, who urged tourists to avoid beaches until the extreme weather subsided.
The Liguria region was hit by hail the size of walnuts, which was violent enough to smash windows in houses and damage orchards and gardens.
According to Italian agricultural lobby Coldiretti, despite the fact that northern Italy is currently experiencing its worst drought in decades, recent heavy rains that brought scattered hailstorms, whirlwinds, and flooding have damaged or destroyed entire crops of fruits, vegetables, vineyards, and olive orchards.
As firemen battled to put out the embers of two wildfires on the Sicilian island of Pantelleria, fashion designer Giorgio Armani and hundreds of others were forced to leave their holiday homes overnight.
According to his press office, the flames stopped short of Armani’s villa despite a picture seeming to show them approaching it. Overnight, Armani and his guests were transported to a yacht in the harbour.
Salvatore Cocina, the director of the region’s civil protection organisation, said that two flames that drove around 30 people to seek safety in boats or on safer areas of the island are suspected of being started intentionally.
In addition to ground troops protecting residences, firefighters employed Canadian jets to put out the fires. No buildings seemed to have been lost, according to the authorities.
The final flames were being put out by two Canadairs in challenging terrain, according to the mayor of the island, Vincenzo Campo, who also reported that the wind had diminished.
Pantelleria is getting back to normal after the intense dread of yesterday night and the night spent at work, according to Campo. It seems like the worst is over.
Officials in the area made a plea for any information that may be used to determine the origin of the fire, which broke out 400 metres (a quarter mile) apart.
Between Sicily and Tunisia, Pantelleria is a well-known beach and hiking resort with historic archaeological monuments and distinctive geographical features.