100,000 homes without power in France after deadly storm lashes Paris

The National

13 hours ago

Two people, including a child, died in a violent storm that lashed France overnight, emergency services said on Thursday.
The storm toppled trees, flooded Paris streets and caused the French Parliament's roof to spring a leak as Prime Minister Francois Bayrou was speaking in a debate on the Middle East.
The weather front followed a sweltering heatwave with temperatures passing 35°C. It brought gusts of wind exceeding 100kph that damaged property.
Nearly 100,000 homes were still without electricity on Thursday, mainly in central France, emergency services said. "Trees blocking roads, damage to infrastructure and homes, flooding and power cuts have been reported," they added.
More extreme heat is expected this weekend and into early next week.
In southern France, a falling tree killed a 12-year-old boy, while a man on a quad bike died after crashing into a tree that had been brought down by the storm.
The downpour late on Wednesday injured 17 others, one seriously.
In Paris, the sky turned an eerie yellow as lightning flashed above the Sacre-Coeur basilica and fierce winds sent people rushing for cover.
Rain leaked through the roof of the lower house of parliament, forcing legislators to suspend talks on conflict in the Middle East.
"It's raining in the chamber ... I repeat: it's raining in the chamber," wrote MP Maud Petit on her X account.
It was also pointed out by Mr Bayrou, looking up at the National Assembly's leaking domed ceiling after delivering a speech. "Have you noticed that it was raining?' he said.
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, Mr Lescure those in attendance that absorbent mats had been used to patch up the leak.