Parts of France placed on "orange" storm alert

Meteo France, the national meteorological service, on Tuesday issued a warning for violent storms that could cause significant local damage, placing five departments in the southeast of the country on "orange" alert -- the second highest level of warning, and urging residents to be vigilant.

After a scorching heatwave that plagued several French cities last week, violent hailstorms and strong winds are expected to develop in the Cantal, Haute-Loire, Lozere, Ardeche and Gard regions, according to the service.

"It's a stormy situation requiring particular vigilance as there is a significant risk of violent phenomena," it said in its bulletin.

Meteo France said that fierce storms may put lives and properties at risk in the affected areas.

Overnight, flash hailstorms had struck the southwest region of France, causing damage to buildings and cars, and leaving dozens injured, local media reported.

In Isere, Savoie and Haute-Savoie, winds speeds reached up to 120 kilometers per hour, cutting electricity supply to nearly 100,000 households on Monday night. Some 49,000 homes were still without power on Tuesday morning.

According to the state-run railway company SNCF, nine regional train services were disrupted. A total of 182 passengers have been stranded in a high-speed train en route from Paris to Grenoble due to fallen trees on the tracks.

A roof of a party hall in Doussard, where some 300 people were gathered, partially collapsed during a concert. No serious casualties have been reported, according to France Bleu radio.

Pictures posted on social media showed tennis ball-sized hailstones which smashed car windshields and several roofs ripped off by the gale-force winds.

Meteo France warned residents in the country's southwestern departments against using electrical equipment and urged them to be vigilant for lightning.