A powerful tornado struck the village of Pomas in southern France's Aude department on Monday evening, injuring 26 people and damaging roughly 100 homes. Five of the injured were hospitalised, and rescuers searched for two people believed trapped beneath collapsed structures.
The tornado, spawned by a supercell thunderstorm, produced wind gusts of up to 117 km/h and hailstones as large as 5 cm. Around 2,800 households were left without electricity, and more than 100 firefighters were deployed to the scene. The prefecture opened emergency shelters for displaced residents.
The wider storm system disrupted flights at several major airports and blew the roof off an Amazon warehouse in Bouches-du-Rhône, forcing the evacuation of 140 workers. The third stage of the Vuelta a España was cancelled due to severe hail.