Hail storm in France left 1 dead, dozens injured after extensive damage

France was hit on Wednesday by violent hailstorms, damaging cars and roofs.

July 5, 2018, 4:26 PM
A woman shows the rear window of a damaged vehicle in the village of Saint-Sornin, July 5, 2018, after violent hailstorms ripped through the area some 50 miles north-west of Bordeaux in western France late July 4.
A woman shows the rear window of a damaged vehicle in the village of Saint-Sornin, July 5, 2018, after violent hailstorms ripped through the area some 50 miles north-west of Bordeaux in western France late July 4.
Yohan Bonnet/AFP/Getty Images

Paris -- The southwest region of France was hit on Wednesday by violent winds and hailstorms that caused extensive damage to structures and cars -- and left one person dead and dozens injured.

PHOTO: A resident's hand shows the damage to a window of vehicle in the village of Saint-Sornin, July 5, 2018, after violent hailstorms ripped through the area some 50 miles north-west of Bordeaux in western France late July 4.
A resident's hand shows the damage to a window of vehicle in the village of Saint-Sornin, July 5, 2018, after violent hailstorms ripped through the area some 50 miles north-west of Bordeaux in western France late July 4.
Yohan Bonnet/AFP/Getty Images

Local authorities in the Correze department announced that a 64-year-old man died on Wednesday after a tree fell. In addition, 46 people were injured because of the storm.

PHOTO: A damaged roof of a house is seen in the village of Saint-Sornin, July 5, 2018. Storms, accompanied by hailstones as big as tennis balls, caused serious damage to the area.
A damaged roof of a house is seen in the village of Saint-Sornin, July 5, 2018. Storms, accompanied by hailstones as big as tennis balls, caused serious damage to the area.
Yohan Bonnet/AFP/Getty Images

As shown in pictures published after the storm, baseball-sized hailstones shattered car windows and wind up to 80 miles per hour ripped off multiples roofs in the region.

PHOTO: Workers repair the roof of a building in the village of Saint-Sornin, July 5, 2018, after violent hailstorms ripped through the area 50 miles north-west of Bordeaux in western France late July 4.
Workers repair the roof of a building in the village of Saint-Sornin, July 5, 2018, after violent hailstorms ripped through the area 50 miles north-west of Bordeaux in western France late July 4.
Yohan Bonnet/AFP/Getty Images

On Thursday morning, 135,000 homes in the southwest part of France were still without electricity, according to supplier Enerdis.

National weather forecaster Meteo-France also lifted weather alerts on Thursday, which it had put in place in the region.

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