Three die when tree falls on car as weekend storms hit northern France

Three people died on Saturday night (June 29) when high winds brought a 5-metre high tree crashing onto their car on a departmental road in northern France. 

Fierce storms that made their way from the south-west to the north-east of France over the weekend brought winds of up 107 km/h to the Aube department, uprooting trees and causing damage to multiple structures. 

The tree was situated in a private garden alongside the D396 departmental road on Saturday evening, close to the village of Rosnay-l’hôpital. 

The high winds caused part of it to break and fall, crushing the car, which had stopped as the driver of a car in front of it was clearing a branch from the road, with four people inside. 

Three people were pronounced dead at the scene, and a fourth was rushed to hospital and is reported to be in a critical condition.

“In the middle of a thunderstorm, the vehicle in front of the car [that was damaged] stopped to remove a branch blocking the road,” said the public prosecutor in Troyes.

“The victims' vehicle also stopped a few metres behind this vehicle. It was at this point that the trunk of a tree in a private garden broke off… and crushed the occupants' vehicle,” it added.

The identity of the victims has not yet been released, although the driver was said to be 77 years old, and the two deceased passengers 77 and 78. 

Photos of emergency services attending the accident and of the damaged car were shared on social media, which you can see below.

The department was facing tier-three orange weather alerts at the time of the incident. 

At this warning level, people are generally asked to be extremely vigilant when leaving their homes.

Read more: What action is advised with different Météo France weather warnings

Winds of 130 km/h in north 

The wind in the Aube were not the highest recorded during the storms. In nearby Yonne, gales reached 130 km/h in Tonnerre. 

Hail fell in the Meuse, and rainfall equating to 60mm an hour hit the south of the Tarn department. 

Trees were pulled down along other roads in Aube, where the accident took place.

The video below shows the intensity of the rainfall in Meuse as a vehicle’s windscreen is battered. 

In the Deux-Sévres, a 100-year old tree was struck by lightning and completely destroyed on Saturday afternoon - you can see it here:

Earlier on Saturday, heavy hail hit areas surrounding Lyon.

A tornado was close to forming near the city, however winds died down beforehand, allowing it to peter out.

Read more: Weather in France July 1 – July 5: Forecast by area this week