Woman dies in mudslide as storms hit northern France

A French gendarme walks past fire engines after a woman was killed and her husband injured in a mudslide following a storm last night. Francois Nascimbeni/AFP/dpa

A 57-year-old woman has died in a mudslide during a storm in northern France in the early hours of Thursday.

The mudslide occurred shortly after midnight in the municipality of Courmelles, north-east of Paris.

The woman's partner was injured and taken to hospital, while several houses were damaged in the storm, the local prefecture said on Thursday.

More than 50 firefighters were deployed to respond to the scene. Pictures and videos appeared on French media showing flooded streets and large hailstones.