TORNADO HITS FRANCE

[Paul Gilliver]

Breton Tornado Hurls Camper to his Death

"PA"

An 18-year-old was killed and eight other people were injured today when a tornado slammed into a campsite in Brittany.

The twister hurtled the teenager about 50 feet into the air and threw him onto a cliff on the island of Houat, off the coast of Brittany, emergency officials said.

The others had minor injuries and were evacuated by helicopter to a hospital in the nearby town of Vannes, said Captain Corinne Vilemin of the regional emergency service said.

“This was a very localised and very brief phenomenon that occurred on the island at about 6:30 a.m.,” Vilemin said. High winds often hit the island, but rarely with such force, she added.

The tornado hit the campsite head-on, and hundreds of other tourists staying there lost their belongings, she said. At least 10 boats offshore capsized or sank, though no houses were damaged