Tornado tears through French village leaving dozens injured

A violent tornado struck the French village of Pomas in the southwest of the country, resulting in 41 people being injured and hundreds of homes suffering damage. Local authorities reported that 15 individuals were taken to the hospital, including a woman who was injured as her house collapsed upon her. Over 120 emergency personnel were dispatched to the scene, as winds of 117km/h (73mph) uprooted roofs and damaged an estimated 300 homes on Monday.

French authorities have issued an orange alert for thunderstorms across large parts of the southwest, which have already led to power outages and transportation disruptions. Approximately 2,800 homes in 10 villages are currently without electricity, according to officials.

The extreme weather forced the cancellation of the third stage of the Vuelta a España cycling race in the region due to a preceding hailstorm in the French Pyrenees that required riders to take shelter. Eyewitness footage from Pomas, the hardest-hit village, depicted uprooted trees, damaged vehicles, and debris from destroyed homes.

In addition to local transportation impacts, flight delays and cancellations were reported at airports in Bordeaux, Marseille, Nice, Toulouse, and north of Paris, according to Transport Minister Philippe Tabarot.

Tornadoes are not uncommon in France, with the national weather service Météo-France noting that the nation experiences several dozen annually. This incident occurred amid Europe's summer of extreme heatwaves and wildfires, with the southwest region of France particularly affected. One of the largest forest fires in decades, covering 42,000 hectares, tore through the area, marking one of the most significant infernos since World War Two.