Tornado Tears Through Southern French Village, Injuring Dozens and Damaging 300 Homes
A tornado tore through the village of Pomas in southern France on Tuesday, leaving 39 people injured, two of them critically, and damaging approximately 300 homes, according to local authorities. Emergency accommodation centers have been established to relocate displaced residents, while rescue teams continue searching the impacted area.
Damage and Emergency Response in Pomas
The severe weather struck the community of 1,000 inhabitants, reducing residential structures to rubble and destroying numerous vehicles, according to the local government office. Marie-Hélène Bouissac, the deputy head of the local government office, confirmed the total injury count of 39 people, noting that no missing persons have been reported so far. The Aude prefecture reported that 1,400 households remained without electricity on Tuesday morning as emergency crews worked to clear debris and secure damaged properties.
Regional Weather Conditions
The destructive weather formed as the region remained under a thunderstorm alert, with a nearby meteorological station recording wind gusts exceeding 100 kilometers per hour (62 miles per hour), according to official reports. The severe conditions also disrupted other events in the area; the third stage of the Vuelta a España bike race, held in southern France on Monday, was halted due to hail. Meteo France, the national weather agency, notes that a few dozen tornadoes occur each year in mainland France, most of them of low intensity.
Emergency teams and local authorities are scheduled to continue recovery operations and assess structural damage across the village.