Tornado kills three in northern France

Three people were killed overnight when a small tornado charged through towns in northern France, destroying houses and spewing debris over the area, the local government said.

Roughly 40 houses were hit by the freak meteorological event in the town of Hautmont, near the Belgian border. Three bodies were pulled from wreckage and six people were slightly injured.

Three people were also injured in the nearby village of Boussieres-sur-Sambre, two of them seriously. Two other towns were also hit by the storm.

Television footage showed one house that appeared to have been sliced in two, with all its floors open to the elements. Bricks and other debris lined the streets.

Emergency services including around 190 firemen were searching through the wreckage to see if more people were trapped, the local government for the Nord department said.