The 84-year-old victim was killed late Thursday as he walked in a field near the town of Vernet-la-Varenne in central France, firemen said, updating previous reports of only minor injuries.

Lightning strikes also caused several fires, including one that burnt a house in the French Alps to the ground, while the gusts tore the roof off an airport in Chambery in a nearby region.

Firemen were called out more than 2,000 times to handle flooded cellars, damaged roofs and non-serious injuries.

Power stations in the Alps were damaged by fallen trees, cutting electricity to more than 60,000 homes, and a broken high-voltage cable stalled train services in southeast France.

In the town of Belfort, suspected lightning caused a municipal alarm system to malfunction, sending many residents into a panic when they heard the siren signalling a major catastrophe.

In Switzerland, officials said they were evaluating the damage caused, and said electricity supplies also caused blackouts and trees crushed several cars. They had no reports of injuries in the country.

A storm warning remained in place to early Saturday.

TERRA.WIRE