In pictures: French tornado

The people of Hautmont were stunned when a tornado smashed through their village in northern France on Sunday night.

Rescuers came to this house to search for the town's deputy mayor and his wife, trapped beneath the rubble. The couple did not survive.

A third victim - a woman in her 70s - was also killed when her house collapsed. Across the town roofs were torn off, trees uprooted and cars wrecked.

A fourth man, aged 76, was reported to have committed suicide after his house was one of those demolished.

Lots of residents were injured or in a state of shock after the storm arrived after dark on Sunday. One described it as sounding "like a bombing raid".

French Interior Minister Michele Alliot-Marie visited the scene and announced emergency aid. She compared the scene to "a war zone", saying "this looks like scenes that I saw in south Lebanon".

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