The tornado raged through the area of Val d’Oise, ten miles north of Paris, killing a construction worker and leaving four other people fighting for their lives in hospital
The aftermath of the deadly Paris tornado shows the devastation of the twister that tore through the outskirts of the French capital last night.
One person has died and nine are known to have been seriously injured after it struck an area just ten miles north of Paris on Monday evening. The area of Val d’Oise was hit by the weather phenomenon, ripping through the region and sparking a major emergency response as residents were evacuated from their homes and forced to take shelter in a gym.
Three cranes came crashing down with dramatic footage showing the moment they plummeted to the ground one after another. Around 80 firefighters, 50 police officers and 20 members of the ambulance service were dispatched with four people left fighting for their lives.
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Paris tornado: One dead and multiple injured as twister blasts through area and topples cranes
Among the victims was a 23-year-old construction worker, who was killed on a building site. Roofs were also torn off building by the powerful winds, unleashed by what authorities described as a “sudden” and “unusually intense” tornado. The clean-up operation has today begun as locals come to terms with the devastation.
The Keraunos observatory, a French weather monitoring organisation, reported that the sudden gusts seemed to have originated from a “supercell-type storm”. This kind of thunderstorm is characterised by a rotating updraft of circulating air that can sustain itself for hours and generate severe, sometimes catastrophic weather conditions, including large hail, damaging winds, and tornadoes.
French Interior Minister Laurent Nunez posted on X (formerly Twitter): “A sudden and unusually intense tornado episode struck several towns in Vald’Oise, causing the death of one person and seriously injuring several others. I am closely monitoring the situation and express my support for the elected officials, the emergency services on site, and the affected residents. I offer my condolences to the loved ones of the deceased victim.”