Savage storms across Western Europe kill 62

France has declared a national disaster after Western Europe's worst storms in 10 years left 62 people dead.

Hurricane-force winds and flooding battered south-west France, leaving more than a million homes without power. The storm also hit Belgium, Portugal, Spain and parts of Germany.

There were 51 deaths in France, about half of which were attributed to the breach of the sea wall off the coastal town of L'Aiguillon-sur-Mer, where ocean waters surged up to the roofs of some homes.

A survivor told how she swam out of her house through a window to seek safety on a neighbour's roof in the Vendée on the Atlantic coast.

Hundreds sought shelter in attics and on roofs before being rescued by helicopters. Trees were uprooted and 30ft high waves surged inland as the storm, named Xynthia, swept east towards Belgium and Germany.

In Paris, where hundreds of buildings were damaged, winds of 100mph were recorded at the top of the Eiffel Tower.

President Nicolas Sarkozy expressed his condolences to the families of the victims and praised the work of rescuers. He will visit the worst-hit areas today. "It is a national disaster, a human drama with a terrible death toll," he said.

He also tried to stop criticism over the state of the country's sea walls, saying "this is not the time".

The storm caused six deaths in Germany, including a two-year-old boy who drowned after he was blown into a river. Three people were killed in Spain, and one each in Belgium and Portugal.