• A 31-year-old kite surfer died after being blasted through a restaurant window.
• There was an unexpected surge of wind during a ‘mini-tornado.’
• Five persons were sent to the hospital, after the powerful wind slammed them.

A 31-year-old kite surfer died after being blasted through a restaurant window by an unexpected surge of wind during a ‘mini-tornado.’

After a powerful wind slammed the village of Villers-sur-Mer on the Normandy coast on Saturday, five persons were sent to the hospital.

The gusts were not expected to be as fierce as they were, as camera footage shows sand spinning in the air and chairs and tables being flung around.

The mayor of Villers-sur-Mer, Thierry Granturco, described the winds as “violence like we’ve never seen on our coast.”

Read more: Michigan’s Gaylord Tornado wreaks havoc

On the Côte Fleurie – also known as the Flowery Coast – between Ouistreham and Deauville, the unexpected storm lasted 20 to 25 minutes.

A sudden rush of cold air from the English Channel is said to have triggered the unusual meteorological event.

Mr. Granturco told franceinfo on Sunday, ‘It blew more and more forcefully, and it concluded with a tiny tornado.’

‘We had a conversation with Météo France, who told us that they had not been able to predict this type of small tornado.’

‘We knew we were going to have heavy winds, they were stated at the end of the evening, or even the night, but we didn’t expect they’d be this violent,’ he continued.

Read more: Northern Michigan was devastated by a huge tornado

It’s not the first time the country has been battered by a mini-tornado.

According to the local administration, three persons were murdered in 2008 when a tornado blasted through villages in northern France, damaging homes and flinging debris all over the area.

In the town of Hautmont, close the Belgian border, the unexpected meteorological occurrence hit over 40 dwellings.

Six individuals were injured and three bodies were recovered from the wreckage.

Read more: Dozens of people were injured when a tornado ripped a ‘trail of carnage’ across western Germany