Seven killed as floods hit Italy's Tuscany region
- 04 Nov 2023
A seventh person was found dead and another was still missing on Saturday more than a day after rivers burst their banks following torrential rain in the central Italian region of Tuscany, ANSA reported.
The body of a 69-year-old man was found in the town of Campi Bisenzio, about 15km northwest of Florence, the news agency said. Officials earlier said six people had died in the deluge that started late on Thursday.
There had been fears that the River Arno could flood Florence after nearby towns were swamped by the southern edge of Storm Ciaran, but the high water point passed in mid-morning on Friday without major incident in the historic city.
Ciaran was driven by a powerful jet stream that swept in from the Atlantic, unleashing heavy rain and furious winds that caused heavy flooding in Northern Ireland, parts of Britain, Belgium, the Netherlands and France.
Around 300 people have been forced to evacuate their homes in Tuscany, while many others have their water and power supplies cut, the region's president, Eugenio Giani, was quoted as saying by ANSA on Saturday.
The disaster had caused 300 million euros ($322 million) of damage based on an initial estimates, he added.
Another person, a firefighter, was missing in the north-eastern Veneto region, the governor there was quoted as saying by Sky TG24 on Friday.
A bridge collapsed near the city of Pistoia, killing two people. Another person died in the town of Rosignano. The other two victims were elderly people living in the small town of Montemurlo, according to Italian media.
The Italian government declared a state of emergency and allocated an initial 5 million euros ($5.4 million) to help the worst-hit areas.
Around 48,000 people in the region had no electricity, Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini told a news conference.
CLIMATE CHANGE BLAMED
Locals in Campi Bisenzio, just north of Florence, started clean-up operations after the Bisenzio river flooded their homes. Tuscany president Giani said the region had never seen so much rain in such a short space of time.
"What happened overnight in Tuscany has a clear name: CLIMATE CHANGE," he wrote on social media site X.
Another person was missing in the northeastern Veneto region, the local governor was quoted as saying by Sky TG24.
Weather alerts remained in force in a number of Italian regions, with some schools closed, after a week in which the country has been lashed by strong winds and heavy rain.
Storm Ciaran was driven by a powerful jet stream that swept in from the Atlantic, unleashing heavy rain and furious winds that have already caused heavy flooding in Northern Ireland, parts of Britain, Belgium, the Netherlands and France.
Italy is seen as particularly exposed to the effects of climate change. Floods in the region of Emilia-Romagna in May killed at least 14 people.
Reuters
