VIDEO: Deadly tornado tears through French city during afternoon commute

A powerful tornado collapsed infrastructure and left at least one person dead in Ermont, France, a city 13 miles north of Paris, during the Monday afternoon commute.

ERMONT, France – A powerful tornado collapsed infrastructure and left at least one person dead in Ermont, France, a city 13 miles north of Paris, during the Monday afternoon commute.

Video on social media shows tree branches and other debris damaging cars on packed roads. Government photos showed a large crane collapsed on the side of a building, as well as another completely blocking a street.

Government officials said nine other people were hurt by the tornado, which prompted some 700 calls for services.

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While tornadoes occur significantly less frequently in Europe than in the U.S., they are not uncommon. 

A 2017 study published in the American Meteorological Society journal found that 83 tornadoes were reported on average across Europe annually between 1950 and 2015, roughly 11 times lower than the average annual tally in the U.S. during that span. 

The study found that France had the fifth-most tornadoes in Europe during that timeframe. It also noted that few European meteorological offices maintain a tornado database.

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A violent tornado collapsed infrastructure and left at least one person dead in Ermont, France, a city 13 miles north of Paris, during the Monday afternoon commute.

(Préfet du Val-d’Oise/Facebook / FOX Weather)

Ermont’s city government said some 300 homes lost power, and city parks were closed after the severe weather.

Officials said lingering damage impacted rail lines into Tuesday.

The exact strength of the tornado has not been made available.