Tornado in southern France leaves two missing and 40+ injured

A tornado struck the village of Pomas in France's Aude department on Monday evening, leaving two people missing and at least 41 injured—including 15 hospitalized—after damaging roughly 300 homes across the region, according to local authorities reporting early on 25 August 2026.

The storm swept through several municipalities south of Carcassonne around 17:20 local time, with the worst damage concentrated in Pomas, a community of about 1,000 residents between Carcassonne and Limoux. Investigative sources cited by BFMTV said rescue crews were searching the rubble of a collapsed home for the two missing people. Emmanuelle Plantier-Lemarchand, secretary-general of the Aude prefecture, told the network that clarification operations would continue through the night with substantial resources.

Key Takeaways

• Two people remain missing in Pomas after Monday's tornado in southern France.
• At least 41 people were injured and 15 were evacuated to hospitals, the Aude prefecture said.
• About 300 homes were damaged department-wide; roughly 100 were hit in Pomas alone.
• More than 120 firefighters were deployed, with shelter centres opened in Pomas and Limoux.
• Wind gusts reached 117 km/h in Aude as Météo France lifted an orange storm alert at 19:00.

What happened in Pomas when the tornado hit?

Social media footage published on Monday showed a powerful funnel cloud moving under stormy skies across the Aude. Euronews reported that gusts of up to 117 km/h were recorded in the department while parts of southwestern France remained under an orange thunderstorm warning.

In Pomas, roofs were torn off and several houses collapsed. The prefecture estimated that around 100 dwellings in the village were affected, while approximately 300 homes were damaged across the department. By 19:30, roughly 2,800 households in about ten Aude municipalities were still without electricity.

How many people were injured and who is still missing?

According to a prefecture bulletin shared on social networks, 41 people were taken to a victim reception point, including 15 who were transferred to hospital for treatment. The figure exceeds earlier estimates from some outlets but reflects the latest official tally released early Tuesday.

Two residents have been listed as missing since Monday afternoon. Prefecture officials did not publicly identify them, but BFMTV reported that search teams were concentrating on debris from one residential building. Plantier-Lemarchand said operations to resolve uncertainty about their status would run through the night.

What is the scale of damage across the Aude department?

Beyond Pomas, the tornado disrupted transport and daily life across the department. Several departmental roads were closed after trees fell and to allow emergency crews to work. The prefecture said operations were under way to secure buildings, especially ground floors in the most heavily damaged properties, to prevent collapse risks.

Two overnight accommodation centres were opened in Pomas and Limoux for residents who could not return home. Gendarmes were deployed to secure damaged areas and patrol the region through the night. More than 120 firefighters were on scene, with reinforcements arriving from neighbouring departments.

How does this storm fit into France's wider weather pattern?

Monday's extreme weather was part of a broader severe storm system across southern France. Météo France had placed up to 20 departments on orange alert earlier in the day before scaling back; by night, only South Corsica and Upper Corsica remained at that level for thunderstorms.

Wind records were broken in several areas. The Pézenas-Tourbes station in Hérault recorded a 121 km/h gust, surpassing an August 1999 record of 118.8 km/h. Vaucluse saw 146.5 km/h, and monthly records were set at Béziers-Cap d'Agde in Aude and Salon-de-Provence in Bouches-du-Rhône, according to El Confidencial.

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