Dozens help farm hit by tornado

DOZENS of neighbours have turned out to help a farmer whose farm south-west of Toulouse was destroyed by a tornado this week.

Winds of between 150-170kph had torn the roofs off barns and the farmhouse and destroyed grain stored at Barthélémy Bordèse's farm near Seysses.

Bordèse's son Xavier, who was alone on the farm at the time, could only look on as the whirlwind ripped across the countryside - leaving a furrow 100m wide and 2.7km long.

No one was hurt and the animals were all safe but the farm was left devastated. And as neighbours helped clear the debris and recover sections of roofing Bordèse thanked them, telling La Dépêche: "Friends, my family, people from all around... it's incredible solidarity."

Xavier said that he heard a couple of peals of thunder and then wind suddenly rose. He told La Dépêche: "It was completely mad. Yellow dust was being lifted into the sky. It was a like a fog.

"On the roof, the tiles started to lift as if the house was breaking apart. I hid under the bed!"

The tornado was captured on video by several people and has been seen by thousands on YouTube. A giant column of yellow dust is seen sweeping across fields for around four minutes. See some of the footage on YouTube