A tornado tore off roofs and brought down cranes killing one person in a region north of Paris.
Four people are fighting for life after the violent wind ripped through Ermont, Val-d’Oise on Monday.
It is unclear how the person died.
Terrifying footage shows the cyclone pulling down cranes as people cower inside their homes.
Trees were ripped up by the roots and one crane collapsed into a tower block causing mass destruction in the town.
‘One person has died, four are in critical condition, and five are in relative condition,’ the Val-d’Oise prefecture said.
They added the wind caused’cranes to fall and tore off roofs’.
Eighty firefighters, 50 police officers, and 20 members of the SAMU (emergency medical service) rushed to the scene.
One person filmed cars trying to flee the path of the tornado as whipping winds brought tree branches down.
One witness posted on X: ‘Apocalyptic scenes on the A115 Ermont side today but magnificent mutual aid to lift a motorcyclist and clear the entire road of fallen trees’.
The prefature gave instructions to locals, urging: ‘Stay cautious and avoid non-essential travel.
‘Let emergency vehicles pass.
‘Security forces are also engaged alongside rescue services.’
‘Following the brief but violent storm that occurred this evening, many trees were uprooted,’ the Ermont town hall said on its social networks.
It added that ‘technical teams and police officers were working to secure and clear the affected areas.’
Valérie Pécresse, president of the Île-de-France region, said she had ‘thoughts for the inhabitants of Val-d’Oise, victims of a violent tornado’.
‘The Region will support the affected communities’, she added on X.
The last deadly tornado in France was on August 3, 2008. It caused the death of three people, seriously injured 18 and caused significant damage in Hautmont.