A tornado tore through districts north of Paris on Monday evening, toppling three construction cranes that killed one person and injured 10 others, four of whom remain in critical condition.
The town of Ermont, about 20 kilometres northwest of Paris was worst hit by the sudden twister that caused damage across some10 districts.
Regional prosecutor Guirec Le Bras told French news agency AFP one 23-year-old construction worker was killed on a building site and 10 people had been injured with four others in critical condition.
According to the authorities, the tornado toppled cranes, tore off rooftops and smashed up cars.
Rail traffic was severely disrupted on lines H and C, due to a tree falling on the tracks, which damaged overhead power lines.
The operator warned that the connection between Pontoise and Ermont-Eaubonne would remain suspended until at least 3pm local time on Tuesday.
Interior Minister Laurent Nunez said on social media platform X that it had been a storm of "rare intensity".
Videos shared on social media showed three cranes falling within seconds of each other.
One crane fell on a clinic, without causing injuries, and another on a residential building.
Over 80 firefighters, 50 police officers and dozens of medical personnel were at the scene, authorities said.
The prefecture issued a statement Monday night, saying that emergency personnel had responded to "324 interventions and more than 700 calls".
Storms, floods and fires: Have planetary conditions really become more extreme?
The prefect of Val-d'Oise, Philippe Court, announced that a crisis unit had been opened at the Rébuffat gymnasium in Ermont, "for residents who cannot find accommodation or who cannot return to their homes."
During the night from Monday to Tuesday, 1,700 homes were without electricity, according to the prefecture, which asked the public service company Enedis to "restore the network as soon as possible."
Valérie Pécresse, president of the Île-de-France region, wrote on X: "My thoughts are with the residents of Val-d'Oise, victims of a violent tornado," adding that her administration "will support the affected communities."
An investigation into involuntary manslaughter and unintentional injury in the workplace was opened in Pontoise.
(With newswires)
