This is the dramatic moment a storm blew a metal cargo box towards the runway of an airport in France this morning.

Terrified staff and passengers watched as strong winds battered the Ajaccio Napoleon Bonaparte Airport on the island of Corsica on Thursday, August 18 at dawn.

Several other pieces of metal were picked up by the violent swirling winds and hurled in the direction of parked planes as the metal container tumbled across the tarmac.

Flights were cancelled due to the storm, which killed at least three people including a teenage girl and an elderly woman. A further 45,000 households were left without electricity as the weather lashed the region.

Similar thunderstorms and heavy rain have been seen across the country following a recent heatwave. Weather group Meteo France measured one month's worth of rain in a single hour. The meteorological station on the Eiffel Tower in Paris recorded wind speeds of up to 65 miles per hour.