Floods, falling trees and flying debris have caused chaos in France in a powerful storm that has claimed at least 40 lives.

The western Vendee region was one of the worst-hit areas as heavy rains and violent winds swept in from the Iberian Peninsula.

It is a bitter reminder of fierce storms that hit France in 1999. Then, nearly 100 lives were lost.

This weekend’s storm swept in from Spain where it left three dead and from Portugal where a 10-year old-boy was killed under a falling tree. But France is mourning most victims and it is feared the number could rise further.

The storm cut power to a million homes and forced Air France to cancel more than 100 flights taking off and arriving at Charles de Gaulle airport in Paris. The government was holding emergency meetings to deal with the disaster.

As the extreme weather headed north, Spain was counting the cost of its brush with the killer storm. Among the victims there was an 82-year-old woman who died when a wall collapsed on her in the northwestern region of Galicia.

A motorist’s death in Germany is being linked to the storm while flood alerts have been issued in parts of the UK.

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