Caravan nearly blown off bridge

A FAMILY caravan was nearly blown off a bridge into the sea today as high winds struck the west of France.

The vehicle was crossing the Ile d'Oléron bridge, the country's longest at more than 2km, when a gust of wind tipped their vehicle onto the guard rail and left it tipping 23m above the sea.

A couple and their 10-month-old baby were inside the van pulling the caravan at the time of the accident.

#Vent violent, peut-être à l'origine de cet #accident spectaculaire qui paralyse la #circulation sur le pont #Oléron pic.twitter.com/2N288kfcu4— JDP île d'Oléron (@JDPiledoleron) August 24, 2015

“It was panic. We saw the caravan turn over and didn't know if it was going to fall into the sea or not,” said mother Audrey Gatefin.

“If there hadn't been a lamppost there would have been a good chance it would have finished up in the sea,” she told France Info.

The family plan to continue their holiday on the island without their caravan.

The accident took place at 9am as high winds hit the west of the country, leaving 10,000 homes without power. The family say the vehicle had been doing just 20kph at the time of the accident.

Photo: Karine Vaucelle/Journal des Propriétaires de l'île d'Oleron