A tornado swept through Poma, located between Carcassonne and Limoux, on Monday afternoon. The small settlement has about a thousand residents, [reports](https://nos.nl/artikel/2628200-tornado-richt-ravage-aan-in-dorp-zuid-frankrijk-tientallen-gewonden) NOS. According to authorities, 41 people were injured as a result of the storm. Fifteen of the injured were taken to hospitals. BFMTV reports that rescuers are also searching for two individuals who may be trapped under the rubble of a residential building. The storm caused significant damage to the settlement. Footage shared on social media shows roofs torn off houses, fallen trees, and cars scattered across the streets.  _Frame from NOS video._ According to the management of the Aude department, about 300 residential homes were damaged. Shelters have been set up for residents who cannot temporarily return to their homes. "Half of the village is destroyed, it’s terrible," one local resident told BFMTV. A shop owner reported to the channel that he saw his store collapse during the tornado. According to him, everything happened so quickly that people had no time to react. Due to the storm, around 2,800 homes were left without electricity. More than a hundred firefighters have been deployed to deal with the aftermath. Police are patrolling the affected areas to prevent possible looting. The bad weather affected not only the Aude department. Several departments in southern France were under an orange weather alert due to thunderstorms and hail. In the Bouches-du-Rhône department, strong winds tore the roof off an Amazon warehouse, from which 140 employees were evacuated. Due to the extreme weather, the third stage of the Vuelta a España cycling race was also stopped early. Less than 20 kilometers from the finish line in French Font-Romeu, the riders decided to halt the race. Thus, the tornado in Poma became one of the most serious consequences of the current wave of bad weather in southern France: dozens of people were injured, hundreds of homes were damaged, and rescue services continue to clear the rubble and deal with the aftermath of the storm.
