Thunderstorms that have hit the Mediterranean since Tuesday have killed five people and injured more than twenty, including three in critical condition, on the French Mediterranean island of Corsica on Thursday, according to the latest figures released by authorities.

Flash thunderstorms and strong winds reaching 224 kilometers per hour on Thursday, following a heat wave and drought, caused property damage and necessitated several rescue operations at sea.

On land, three people aged 13 to 72 died as a result of falling trees or roofs. 12 people were injured, three of them in critical condition, including a 23-year-old Italian woman.

Two people died at sea, a 62-year-old fisherman and a woman on the boat, their bodies were found.

The maritime department said that there were about 10 wounded on different boats.

Earlier, the Department of the Navy announced that dozens of operations were carried out on Thursday after “boats at anchor ran aground, capsized or were lost.”

In addition, 35,000 subscribers on the island were still without power, according to a spokesman for electric utility IE, after service was restored to 10,000 subscribers.

Storms headed from the island of Corsica to Italy at noon, according to the French meteorological service, which raised a high alert in the morning.

On Tuesday and Wednesday, severe thunderstorms with heavy rain hit southern and southeastern France and put several provinces on high alert until Wednesday evening.