Mini tornado lifts up car and flips it over in south-west France
It covered 500m before it dissipated
The storm lasted less than a minute but still destroyed a number of buildings
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A 鈥榤ini-tornado鈥� with gusts of up to 120 km/h hit a town in the south-west of France on Tuesday evening, causing damage to a number of buildings - and flipping over a parked car.
The tornado formed around 17:00 in Villeneuve-sur-Lot (Lot-et-Garonne) hitting the town鈥檚 stadium before passing through the nearby Rooy business district.
It covered a distance of around 500 metres before it dissipated.
鈥淭he tornado passed in front of my feet. I thought I was going to go with it,鈥� said one resident to local news outlet . He was near the stadium when the tornado formed.
鈥淔ear went right through me. It was a phenomenal thing,鈥� he added.
Nobody was injured, but some buildings were damaged and a parked car was flipped over.
The lieutenant-colonel of the local fire brigade David Graffeuille said more than 30 firefighters were called out to the scene.
Some photos of the damage 鈥� including to the stadium and nearby warehouses 鈥� were shared by the town鈥檚 social media pages.
Tornadoes are rare in France, but do happen, lasting for less than a minute but still able to cause serious damage.
Read more: VIDEO: Tornado uproots trees in small town in southern France
Read more: North west France tornado: around 40 such phenomena a year in country
Natural disaster recognition
The town鈥檚 mayor Guillaume Lepers said the town will submit a request for natural disaster recognition, to help companies with insurance claims.
Read more: France鈥檚 鈥榗atastrophe naturelle鈥� insurance system: how to claim
He added that the town would help businesses impacted with their insurance claims.
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Advice if home in France is damaged in storm - and what about cars?
