3 killed, 12 injured in thunderstorms on France''s Corsica

Violent thunderstorms hit the French island of Corsica on Thursday morning, leaving three people dead and a dozen others injured, local authorities said.

A 13-year-old girl died after a tree fell in a campsite in the coastal town of Sagone, the Corsica prefecture said in a statement.

A 72-year-old woman was killed when the roof of a beach restaurant fell on her vehicle in Coggia, south of Sagone.

The third fatality was a 46-year-old man killed in a campsite in the town of Calvi. One of the 12 injured was hospitalised in critical condition, the prefecture added.

Wind gusts of more than 220 kph (136 mph) were registered in some areas, French national weather agency Météo-France said.

About 45,000 households were without power on the island because of the storms, according to French electricity company EDF.

About 60 rescue operation were ongoing along the western coast of Corsica to help several grounded and wrecked ships, the French maritime authority for the Mediterranean Sea tweeted.

After a summer of drought, heat waves and forest fires, violent storms have hit France and neighbouring countries in recent days.

In southern France, thunderstorms on Wednesday flooded the Old Port of Marseille and the city's main courthouse and forced the closure of nearby beaches.

Winds over 100 kph (60 mph) were recorded at the top of the Eiffel Tower during a flash flood on Tuesday.

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