One person was killed after a tornado struck Mascouche, Que., a suburb north of Montreal, late Monday afternoon.

Marisa Curcio, a spokeswoman for the municipality, said the tornado touched down just before 4 p.m. in a neighbourhood in the northeastern part of the town, bordering on Highway 25, located about 45 kilometres from Montreal.

She confirmed the death of one male resident and said public works and the fire department are trying to secure the area. Jean-Pierre Boudreau, the fire chief, told all-news network LCN the man had taken refuge inside a shed when the tornado hit.

Steve Boily, a meteorologist with Environment Canada, said officials inspected video circulating on social media and images of the damage to assess the storm.

“We confirm it was a tornado, but we didn’t have the opportunity to go into the field yet to confirm the strength,” Boily said in an interview.

“We have seen video evidence showing debris flying around, a funnel cloud. We have reports of a lot of (damaged) roofs and damage to houses.”

Mayor Guillaume Tremblay wrote on his Facebook page there was damage reported in several parts of the city, and emergency teams had been dispatched to those sectors hardest hit. Officials asked curious onlookers to steer clear of the area.–The Canadian Press

Source: National News Agency