A tornado struck Val-d'Oise on Monday evening, killing one person and injuring nine others. The event, occurring around 17:45, caused significant material damage in several towns. It is the first deadly tornado in France since 2008.
On Monday, October 20, 2025, around 17:45, a tornado and violent winds devastated several towns in Val-d'Oise, about 21 km northeast of Paris. In Ermont, a 23-year-old construction worker was killed when the mini-tornado crossed the site, according to Prefect Philippe Court. Pontoise Prosecutor Guirec Le Bras told AFP: 'We have ten victims including one deceased, a 23-year-old man. He was one of the employees of the private construction company working on the site.' Four people are in absolute emergency and five in relative urgency.
Three cranes fell: one on the fatal site, one on a medico-social facility with no victims, and one on a residential building. Roofs were torn off, trees uprooted, and streets cluttered with debris, as shown in social media videos. Affected towns include Ermont, Eaubonne, Andilly, Montmorency, and Franconville. Ermont's town hall stated that 'numerous trees were uprooted' and technical teams were securing areas. In Eaubonne, the tornado passed over the hospital and Luat; a crisis cell was activated, parks closed, and a natural disaster state will be declared.
Eighty firefighters, 50 police officers, and 20 SAMU members were mobilized. An investigation into involuntary homicide and injuries was opened by the Pontoise prosecutor's office, assigned to judicial police. A departmental operations center coordinates rescues, with ongoing evacuations. Traffic on RER C and Transilien line H was halted between Ermont-Eaubonne and Pontoise/Valmondois until at least 22:00, due to a tree falling on a catenary.
Valérie Pécresse, Île-de-France president, expressed thoughts for the victims and pledged regional support. Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez described the episode as a 'sudden tornado of rare intensity,' offering condolences. According to La Chaîne Météo, the phenomenon is exceptional in Île-de-France, linked to an active perturbation crossing France from England, strengthened by a jet stream. The last deadly tornado was in Hautmont in 2008, with three deaths.