Dozens injured as tornado devastates southwestern French village

Sun Sep 06 2026 15:54:06 GMT+0000 (Coordinated Universal Time)

A tornado ripped through Pomas, France, injuring 39 people, damaging hundreds of homes and disrupting the Vuelta a España race.

A powerful tornado struck the small village of Pomas in south‑west France, tearing out roofs, uprooting trees and leaving 39 people injured. Emergency crews were dispatched to a town 15 kilometres from Carcassonne, while the nearby Vuelta a España stage was cancelled. The incident follows a period of severe weather that has already caused widespread heatwaves, transport disruptions and power outages across the region.

Dozens injured as tornado devastates southwestern French village

A tornado ripped through the village of Pomas, injuring 39 people, damaging hundreds of homes and disrupting a Vuelta a España race stage.

Pomas, located south of Carcassonne, suffered the most intense damage. Emergency services, including over 120 volunteer responders and twenty trained firefighters, rushed to the scene after winds reached 117 km/h (73 mph), tearing roofs off houses and damaging roughly 300 homes.

Pedestrians walk past a toppled tree after a tornado struck Pomas

Residents described the tornado as a swirling red and yellow chimney; local observer Pierre said, "Half the village has been destroyed." He added that an ancient stone castle lost a third of its structure, a stark reminder of the power of the storm.

Officials indicated that two people were in critical condition, while fifteen people received treatment in local hospitals. One victim's wife, pregnant at the time, was injured when their collapsed house fell on her. Authorities have updated the casualty count from 41 to 39 as patients are discharged or stabilized.

The incident coincided with the third stage of the Vuelta a España. A hail storm forced riders to seek shelter 15 km from the finish line, causing the stage to be cancelled entirely. The cancellation underscores the broader reach of severe weather across the region.

France’s meteorological service, Météo‑France, has issued an orange alert for thunderstorms across the country’s south‑west, a warning triggered by ongoing power outages and transport disruptions. The storm comes on the heels of a summer marked by heatwaves and large‑scale wildfires that burned an estimated 42,000 hectares.

Transport Minister Philippe Tabarot reported flight delays and cancellations affecting airports in Bordeaux, Marseille, Nice, Toulouse and northern Paris. Around 2,800 homes in ten villages were left without electricity as a result of the storm’s after‑effects.

Local sub‑prefect Emmanuelle Plantier‑Lemarchand said she was not aware of any missing persons and stressed the importance of community resilience. She noted that the combined damage requires a comprehensive recovery effort involving not just reconstruction but also long‑term support for affected residents.

The event highlights a growing pattern of extreme weather events across Europe, prompting discussions around climate resilience, emergency preparedness, and investment in infrastructure that can withstand such forces.