An extremely violent storm on Saturday night slammed a 31-year-old kitesurfer into the facade of a restaurant and killed him. A search is being carried out by boat and helicopter for a person missing at sea in Deauville. More storms are expected.
A heat wave hits Paris and storms hit the Normandy coast.
(dpa)
After the heat wave in France, a kitesurfer died and three others were injured in a storm on the Normandy coast on Saturday evening. A helicopter was used to search for a person missing in the sea, as reported by the broadcaster France Info with reference to the prefecture. The extremely violent storm lasted about 20 minutes and hit the town of Villers-sur-Mer. The 31-year-old kitesurfer was hit by a strong gust of wind, whirled through the air against the facade of a restaurant and killed. Cafe tables and chairs were blown around by the storm, injuring three patrons at a casino.
The prefecture set up a psychological crisis team. Rescuers searched for a person missing at sea in Deauville by boat and helicopter. A major triathlon organized in Deauville had to be canceled because the athletes’ village tents were blown away. The participants were offered quarters in the village.
The heat wave peaked in France on Saturday with temperatures exceeding 42 degrees. In Biarritz on the Atlantic coast near the Spanish border, the highest temperature ever recorded was 42.9 degrees.
Storms coming from the Atlantic coast are expected in France from Sunday night, which are likely to affect other parts of the country later. Locally, these storms could be accompanied by violent gusts of wind and strong thunderstorms. The heat wave, on the other hand, is only likely to last longer in eastern France towards the German border.