AT least two people including a child have died after a violent storm battered France and sparked flash floods in Paris.
Fierce winds sent locals rushing for cover as 39,000 lightning bolts flashed across the country.
Following several days of scorching heat, Paris experienced heavy flooding last night due to intense rain and strong winds.
Footage showed streaks of lightning giving the sky above Paris an eerie yellow hue.
Metro stations and some streets in the capital were left underwater as torrential rain and lightning swept.
Parisians were seen walking down streets flooded with rainwater.
In the Dordogne, in south west France, huge hailstones tore through roofs at the height of the storms.
Some 70 buildings were damaged in the commune of Belvès alone, The Telegraph reports.
Aftermath of the violent storm showed fallen trees on the streets, while cars were left stranded in deep water.
In southern France, a falling tree tragically killed a 12-year-old boy.
Meanwhile, a man on a quad bike died after crashing into a fallen tree that was downed by the storm.
The violent downpour late Wednesday injured 17 others, including one seriously, France‘s emergency services said.
And rain also leaked through the roof of the lower house of Parliament, forcing lawmakers to suspend talks on the conflict in the Middle East.
“It’s raining in the chamber… I repeat: it’s raining in the chamber,” wrote MP Maud Petit on her X account.
The storms followed a sweltering heatwave with temperatures passing 35 degrees Celsius.
It brought gusts of wind exceeding 62 miles per hour that damaged property.
Nearly 100,000 homes were still without electricity on Thursday, mainly in central France, emergency services said.
“Trees blocking roads, damage to infrastructure and homes, flooding, and power outages have been reported,” it reported.
Firefighters responded to some 40 reports of fallen trees.
According to Lightning Maps, a weather-tracking website, more than 39,000 lightning strikes were recorded across France – and some in Belgium.
It comes after three people were killed in thunderstorms that battered southern France last month.
The downpours inundated whole streets, leading to electricity and water shortages and extensive damage. Hundreds of rescuers promptly mobilized to assist in the area known for its usual 300 days of sunshine.
A couple in their eighties died after their car was swept away by floodwaters in the seaside town of Le Lavandou, France 24 reported.
The woman’s body was found trapped inside the wreck, a public prosecutor in Toulon said.
A third person drowned in their vehicle in the commune of Vidauban, according to cops.
There were reportedly power and water outages in the town of Cavaliere, where 25cm of rain fell in the space of one hour.
A car park also collapsed in the town, leading to dozens of people needing to be rescued.
Around 200 firefighters and 35 gendarmes have reportedly been deployed in Var.
