Six people died, thousands of homes were blacked out and air traffic delayed as violent storms hit northern France.

A POWERFUL storm packing hurricane-force winds lashed northern France yesterday, killing two people and forcing officials to close down the Eiffel Tower and the famed Paris parks.

The death toll in a powerful killer storm with hurricane-force winds in northern France tonight has risen to four tonight.

A powerful storm packing hurricane-force winds lashed northern France today, killing two people and forcing officials to close down the Eiffel Tower and the famed Paris parks.