The first victim of the violent storms that swept across northern France on the night of Wednesday 1 to Thursday 2 May was a 57-year-old woman who died in Courmelles, south of Soissons, in the Aisne department, following a mudslide caused by the bad weather. The departmental prefecture has confirmed the death and reported that the victim’s husband was also injured and hospitalised

Intense, localised rainfall triggered run-off and mudflow phenomena in the Courmelles commune, affecting several homes. Emergency services were quickly mobilised, with 56 firefighters and the gendarmerie on the scene. The mayor of Courmelles activated the local emergency plan and set up a reception centre for those affected.

The violent thunderstorms, accompanied by hailstones and heavy rain, subsided during the night, and Météo-France lifted the orange alert for thunderstorms and rain-flooding in all the departments concerned. However, a large part of Normandy, the Île-de-France region, the Hauts-de-France and the Grand-Est will continue to experience temporary showers and the risk of thunderstorms near the Belgian and German borders throughout the day on Thursday 2 May.