five people lost their lives

In a deafening din, violent gusts blow, on the morning of Thursday August 18, in Corsica. This is so violent that an old tree gives way and is uprooted. A terrace is upside down, caught in the storm. Another is blown in a few minutes. At Ajaccio airport (Corse-du-Sud), a container was thrown several meters. The wind blew up to 224 km/h.

The phenomenon was so violent that according to the Minister of the Interior, it caused five deaths and 20 injuries, four of which were serious. The south of the island was particularly affected. In Vico (Corse-du-Sud), in a campsite, a 13-year-old girl died, victim of a tree falling on her bungalow. “We quickly went to take refuge in the toilets (…) we saw people running everywhere”, says a still shocked tourist. A 72-year-old woman also died after a tree fell on her car.

The commentary on this subject broadcast on Thursday August 18 was recorded before the Ministry of the Interior revised downwards the report communicated by Gérald Darmanin.