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| Version 0 | Version 1 |
|---|---|
| Three die in French mini-tornado | Three die in French mini-tornado |
| (about 3 hours later) | |
| A mini-tornado has wreaked havoc in a small town in northern France, killing three people and injuring nine. | A mini-tornado has wreaked havoc in a small town in northern France, killing three people and injuring nine. |
| A woman in her 70s died when her house collapsed late on Sunday in Hautmont. A deputy mayor and his wife were also crushed in their own home. | A woman in her 70s died when her house collapsed late on Sunday in Hautmont. A deputy mayor and his wife were also crushed in their own home. |
| The freak storm devastated two streets in Hautmont, where 16,000 people live. | The freak storm devastated two streets in Hautmont, where 16,000 people live. |
| Roofs were ripped off, trees uprooted and cars overturned. Rescuers are still picking through the rubble in case any more residents were buried alive. | Roofs were ripped off, trees uprooted and cars overturned. Rescuers are still picking through the rubble in case any more residents were buried alive. |
| The mini-tornado also swept through three other small towns nearby, where the damage was not so severe: Maubeuge, Neuf-Mesnil and Boussieres-sur-Sambre. | |
| "My roof blew off, all the windows are broken," 75-year-old Leon Denoyelle told the French news agency AFP in Hautmont, where about 40 homes were damaged within minutes. | |
| "There was a deep roaring sound, like a bombing raid," local resident Erick Filleur was quoted as saying. |