“There’s a huge castle and a third of it is has collapsed – even though these are stones that have stood for 1,000 years,” Pierre told Ici Occitanie.
The third stage of the Vuelta a España cycle race, which was taking place in the Aude area of south-western France, had to be cancelled when a hail storm forced the riders to take shelter about 15km from the finish line.
The extreme weather has left about 2,800 homes across 10 villages without electricity, according to officials.
Local sub-prefect Emmanuelle Plantier-Lemarchand told French radio that she was not aware of anyone missing. She lowered the number of victims from 41 to 39, and said 15 of them had been treated in hospital.
“I heard this massive noise… then I saw everything flying around in the air and my roof collapsed,” shocked resident Chantal told French radio. “I’ve got no house left, that’s for sure.”
French authorities had issued an orange alert for thunderstorms in large parts of the country’s south-west, which have already been hit by power outages and transport disruptions.
Eyewitness footage from the region captured the swirling vortex of the tornado looming in the horizon above houses and trees.
Images from the small village of Pomas, which was the hardest hit, showed uprooted trees, damaged cars and rubble from destroyed homes.
Meanwhile there were flight delays and cancellations at airports in Bordeaux, Marseille, Nice, Toulouse and north of Paris to the north, said Transport Minister Philippe Tabarot.
On average, France experiences several dozen tornadoes per year, according to the country’s national weather service Météo-France.
It comes after Europe’s summer of unprecedented heatwaves and wildfires, with France’s south-west region among the worst affected with an area of 42,000 hectares burnt in one of the largest forest fires since World War Two.
