PARIS — Relentless storms swept through France, leading to two fatalities, submerging the streets of Paris, and causing a significant leak in the roof of the parliament building, which disrupted a speech by the prime minister.
Prime Minister François Bayrou, addressing the National Assembly, remarked on the heavy rain, glancing up at the dripping domed ceiling. He had just finished a speech concerning Middle Eastern affairs when sudden downpours quickly inundated the Paris streets on Wednesday evening.
Roland Lescure, vice president of the assembly, paused the ongoing debate to allow firefighters to assess the water problem. Approximately 15 minutes later, the debate resumed, and Lescure informed the members of parliament that absorbent mats were placed to mitigate the roof leak.
The storm, which came on the heels of a heatwave sweeping across France, left 17 people injured, one of them in critical condition, according to the French civil defense agency. The severe weather also resulted in power outages affecting 110,000 households.
Tragic incidents were reported, including the death of a 12-year-old child struck by a falling tree in southwest France and a man who lost his life when his quad-bike collided with a downed tree in the northwest, as reported by French media.