Severe storms in France result in two deaths and power outages

Following a period of extreme heat, severe storms struck France on Thursday night, causing two fatalities and widespread power disruptions. In Saint-Victurnien, Haute-Vienne, a woman died after being struck by a falling tree. In Dolomieu, a man died in a workshop fire that occurred after a lightning strike. The power grid operator Enedis reported that approximately 53,000 households lost electricity. The outages were concentrated in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region in the southeast and the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region in the southwest. Météo-France had previously issued an orange weather alert for hail and high winds ranging from the Massif Central to the Alps. The meteorological service has since lifted all orange warnings for the affected southeastern departments. Emergency crews have been deployed to assess damages and restore utility services to the impacted regions.