Tornado rips through southern French village, injuring dozens and flattening homes

A powerful tornado tore through the village of Pomas in south-western France on Monday, leaving 39 people injured and wrecking hundreds of buildings. Officials said 15 of the victims required hospital treatment, with two fighting for their lives after winds gusting to 117km/h (73mph) ripped roofs from houses and scattered debris across the community, which lies just south of Carcassonne in the Aude region.

More than 120 emergency personnel were rushed to the scene as rescue teams worked through the devastation. Local officials estimated that around 300 properties sustained damage in Pomas alone, which bore the brunt of the storm's impact. One resident, speaking to local media under the name Pierre, said half the settlement had been wiped out and described the funnel cloud churning overhead like an enormous red-and-yellow chimney. He noted that roughly a third of the village's historic castle had crumbled despite walls that had endured for a millennium.

The human toll of the disaster emerged in harrowing personal accounts. A woman named Chantal recounted hearing a thunderous roar before watching objects whirl through the air as her roof caved in around her, forcing her to fear for her life. Another villager said his pregnant wife was hurt when their home gave way on top of her.

Emmanuelle Plantier-Lemarchand, the local sub-prefect, told French radio that nobody was reported missing, while revising the injury tally down from an earlier figure of 41. The broader fallout extended well beyond Pomas: approximately 2,800 households across ten nearby villages were cut off from electricity, and authorities maintained an orange weather warning covering much of the country's south-west.

The violent conditions also upended sport. Stage three of the Vuelta a España, being raced through the Aude area, was abandoned after a hailstorm forced cyclists to shelter roughly 15km short of the finish line. Riders were seen taking refuge inside a hotel as the storm swept through.

Air travel suffered too, with delays and cancellations reported at airports in Bordeaux, Marseille, Nice and Toulouse, as well as at an airport north of Paris, according to Transport Minister Philippe Tabarot. Images and video circulating from the affected zone showed the swirling vortex looming over rooftops and treetops, alongside uprooted trees, battered vehicles and the remains of flattened buildings.

Although tornadoes are not unheard of in France — the national weather service Météo-France says the country typically records several dozen annually — Monday's strike adds to what has been a punishing season of extreme weather across Europe. The south-west of the country was already reeling this summer from record heatwaves and wildfires, including a blaze that scorched 42,000 hectares in one of the largest forest fires seen since the Second World War.