France: thunderstorms of unprecedented violence kill at least five people in Corsica

Rescuers and firefighters in the town of Coggia in Corsica affected by violent storms, August 18, 2022. © PASCAL POCHARD-CASABIANCA/AFP

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2 mins

The toll of the violent storms that hit Corsica this Thursday, August 18 in the morning rose to five dead with the deaths of a fisherman in Girolata (Corse-du-Sud) and a kayaker in Erbalunga (Haute-Corse) , according to the Maritime Prefecture.

Corsica is again placed in orange vigilance for the night from Thursday to Friday.

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The body of a 62-year-old fisherman, of whom there was no news, was found in the morning in the Gulf of Girolata, said the spokesperson for the Maritime Prefecture.

At Erbalunga (Haute-Corse), in Cap Corse, the lifeless body of a kayaker, for whom the alert had been given by her husband, who had managed to take shelter, was located at the beginning of the afternoon by aerial means.

“

 ,” added the spokesperson, also counting “ 

” on board different boats.

The vital prognosis of none of these wounded is engaged.

At the end of the morning, the prefecture of Haute-Corse had already announced the death of a 46-year-old man in Calvi (Haute-Corse), victim of a tree falling on his bungalow.

In Corse-du-Sud, a 13-year-old girl, hit by a falling tree, and a 72-year-old woman, by the roof of a straw hut on her vehicle, also lost their lives.

power cuts

On land, 12 other people were injured, in Haute-Corse or Corse-du-Sud, including three in absolute emergency.

Among them, a 23-year-old Italian woman, also a victim of the fall of a tree in the pine forest of Calvi where the forties died.

In addition, 35,000 customers were still without power across the island, announced an EDF spokesperson, after the restoration of 10,000 customers.

The storms left the island to head towards Italy at the end of the morning, specified Météo-France, which lifted the alert in force since the morning, before placing Corsica in orange vigilance for the night.

On Tuesday and Wednesday, strong thunderstorms accompanied by sustained rain hit the south-east of France, several departments of which had been placed on alert until Wednesday evening.

►Also listen: Guest France - Drought in France: "The rains will have limited use and in some cases will be dangerous"

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