Hurricane winds, fierce storms leave 7 dead in France, Italy

By SYLVIE CORBET and COLLEEN BARRY
Associated Press

PARIS (AP) — Violent thunderstorms and hurricane-force winds in France and Italy have left at least seven dead in campgrounds, forests and at sea. They uprooted trees and ripped away a restaurant roof on Thursday. The French weather service says the storm produced gusts of more than 220 kph (136 mph) in some areas. Dozens of people were injured and 12 were hospitalized on the French island of Corsica. Five people were found dead in Corsica and two were killed in separate incidents in Italy’s Tuscany region. Storms in recent days have slammed Western European countries after a summer of extreme weather. Central and Eastern Europe, meanwhile, are still suffering under exceptional heat waves and drought.