Thunderstorms and hail – severe storms hit France – news

• Large parts of France were hit by severe storms.
• At least one person was killed and 15 injured, according to French authorities.
• In the south of the country, hailstones larger than golf balls caused damage.

Sixty-five districts were affected by the storms and 15,000 households lost power. This is the “first time in 20 years” that a large part of the territory has been hit by storms at the same time, Interior Minister Gerald Darmanen said, also reporting damage to infrastructure and agriculture. Winds in excess of 100 km/h were measured in some areas.

The administration of the city of Rouen, northern France, announced that a woman fell under a car in a sudden flood caused by a storm and died. According to the Minister of the Interior, 15 people were injured, two of whom are in serious condition.

In the southern provinces of Landes and Kherez, officials and vine growers said, hailstones larger than golf balls had caused damage to vineyards.

Tens of thousands of hectares of land were affected by the damage caused by the hailstorm, Bernard Mallabirade, head of the Agriculture Authority of Jersey, said. “There is nothing left in the vineyards, the roof of our farm building looks like Swiss cheese and the windows of the house are shattered,” winemaker Nelly Lacave in the Landes department told AFP.

The windows of the house were shattered.

In the Loir-et-Cher department in the center of the country, about 30,000 Scouts who had gathered there for Pentecost camping had to be brought to safety in a hurry. Scout spokesman Damien Tardy said 10,000 children aged eight to 12 were housed at the local castle.

There are also many reports from train passengers that the TGV and other trains can no longer continue.