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Pensioner dies as storms lash southern France

Ben McPartland
Ben McPartland - [email protected]
Pensioner dies as storms lash southern France
Some 31 departments in France are on alert for storms. Photo: AFP

An 84-year-old man was swept away to his death by flood waters on Friday as violent storms hit parts of southern France. Severe weather warnings were in place for some 31 departments as the rough weather is set to spread across the country.

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Violent storms battered southern and eastern France on Friday and left 31 departments on alert.

An 84-year-old man died after being swept away in flood waters near the town of Saint-Palais in the Basque region as heavy rain hit the region. Regional newspaper Sud-Ouest reported that thousands of households were also left without electricity.

The country’s meteorological association Meteo France has called on residents to be vigilant in areas where there is a high risk of storms. 

They are warning people to take precaution against being struck by lightning and take care on the roads.

“The storms will be accompanied by gale force winds, heavy rain and hail as well as lightning,” Météo France said.

The violent storms are set to spread from the south west towards the south east throughout the day.

The alerts are in place until Friday 11pm although the situation may change throughout the course of the day.

The departments placed on Orange alert by Météo France are as follows: l'Allier, la Côte-d'Or, la Haute-Marne, la Nièvre, la Saône-et-Loire et les Vosges, l'Ain, la Drôme, l'Isère, le Rhône, la Savoie, la Haute-Savoie, l'Ardèche, l'Aude, l'Aveyron, les Bouches-du-Rhône, le Cantal, le Gard, l'Hérault, la Loire, la Haute-Loire, la Lozère, le Puy-de-Dôme and le Vaucluse.

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