
Storms in France leave 2 dead, 17 injured and cause parliament to spring a leak
PARIS, June 26, (AP): Two people were killed and 17 injured during torrential storms in France that toppled trees, flooded Paris streets and caused parliament's roof to spring a leak as the prime minister was speaking. "Have you noticed that it was raining?' Prime Minister François Bayrou pointed out, looking up at the National Assembly's leaking domed ceiling after delivering a speech on the Middle East as a deluge fell outside, quickly inundating Paris boulevards on Wednesday evening.
The assembly vice president, Roland Lescure, suspended the debate so fire officers could check out the problem. When he restarted the session about 15 minutes later, Lescure told lawmakers that absorbent mats were used to patch up the leak. The French civil defense agency said one person was critically injured in the storm, which broadly swept France after a heat wave. The agency said power was also cut to 110,000 homes. A falling tree killed a 12-year-old child in southwest France and a man died when his quad-bike hit a toppled tree in the northwest, French media reported.

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Storms in France leave 2 dead, 17 injured and cause parliament to spring a leak
PARIS, June 26, (AP): Two people were killed and 17 injured during torrential storms in France that toppled trees, flooded Paris streets and caused parliament's roof to spring a leak as the prime minister was speaking. "Have you noticed that it was raining?' Prime Minister François Bayrou pointed out, looking up at the National Assembly's leaking domed ceiling after delivering a speech on the Middle East as a deluge fell outside, quickly inundating Paris boulevards on Wednesday evening. The assembly vice president, Roland Lescure, suspended the debate so fire officers could check out the problem. When he restarted the session about 15 minutes later, Lescure told lawmakers that absorbent mats were used to patch up the leak. The French civil defense agency said one person was critically injured in the storm, which broadly swept France after a heat wave. The agency said power was also cut to 110,000 homes. A falling tree killed a 12-year-old child in southwest France and a man died when his quad-bike hit a toppled tree in the northwest, French media reported.