At least one man has died in Switzerland after a violent storm swept through the town of La Chaux-de-Fonds in the northwest of the country, writes Euronews.

“The storm unfortunately caused the death of a person in their fifties following the fall of a building crane. In addition to this victim, around fifteen other people were injured and are being treated by the emergency services, but their prognosis was not life-threatening”, Neuchâtel local police said in a press release.

The storm did not last long, but the strong gusts of wind caused significant damage. According to the Swiss weather service, it was “a probable tornado associated with a rapidly developing thunderstorm cell along the Jura” that hit the Swiss town along the French border: “Wind gusts of 217 km/h were recorded by our station at La Chaux-de-Fonds aerodrome this Monday morning, under a thunderstorm cell that suddenly strengthened as it reached the region”.

Vehicles have been damaged or completely destroyed, roofs have been ripped off, street furniture has been blown away and trees have been uprooted. Before reaching Switzerland, the storm hit eastern France, particularly the Doubs département.