The Mediterranean was hit by a severe thunderstorm, with damaging wind gusts over 120mph. Authorities claim that at least three people are dead and a dozen others injured.

A Mesoscale Convective System (MCS) brought violent conditions to the French island of Corsica between 8 and 9 am this morning local time. An MCS is a cluster of organized thunderstorms that act as a larger-scale weather system, often persisting for hours as it moves.

On the WeatherRadar there is a distinct 'bow echo' as it crosses Corsica. A bow echo is a characteristic seen on a radar shaped like an archer’s bow that can produce severe winds and tornadoes, causing major damage.

Extensive damage has indeed already been reported after an exceptional wind gust of 139mph was recorded at Marignana, 122mph in Calvi, and 81mph in its capital, Ajaccio. About 45,000 households were without power on Corsica, according to the French electricity company, Électricité de France S.A.

The storm continued its track east towards Italy, where the coast between Genoa and Elba saw impacts from the bow echo. Here's the latest footage from Piombino's town along the west-central coast of Italy.

In the video, you can see Ferris wheel carts were severely damaged by gusts up to 80 mph and hail as big as 3 inches.