France's yachts and marinas devastated as Storm Xynthia kills 47

8:12 PM Tue 2 Mar 2010 GMT

'Les Sables yacht marina' .

France is seeking emergency aid from the European Union after Xynthia, the fiercest storm in a decade, left 47 people dead. Among the devastation, on the foreshores and in marinas across the country, dozens of yachts were destroyed.

In the famed Les Sables d'Olonne, locals reported massive damage to the pontoons, some of which have ended up on the land. Yacht have been sunk, dismasted, ended up on land or were impaled.

La Rochelle damage - .. .

In La Rochelle there was similar damage - trees were uprooted and 30ft high waves surged inland as the storm swept eastwards across the country. Wind speeds of 100 mph were recorded.

The storm originated in the Iberian peninsula on Saturday before sweeping north and east across the continent.

Xynthia was making its way towards Denmark early today but was predicted to ease in intensity, European weather forecasters said.

by Sail-World roundup