Deaths and evacuations after floods in Italy

Status: 05/03/2023 4:31 p.m

After months of drought and drought, heavy rainfall has caused flooding in northern Italy. At least two people were killed and hundreds had to leave their homes.

A day and a half of continuous rain has caused flooding and landslides in the Emilia-Romagna region of Italy. According to consistent media reports, at least two people died.

An elderly man was swept away by the masses of water on his bike in the province of Ravenna as he rode on a closed road. Another person died under the rubble of a house near Imola when it collapsed after a landslide. Another person is still missing.

Regional President Stefano Bonaccini announced that he would ask the government in Rome to declare a state of emergency. Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni tweeted that she was following developments in northern Italy, had called Bonaccini and expressed her solidarity and attachment to the affected population.

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Hundreds of people evacuated

The region has been struggling with drought and dryness in recent weeks – the more than 650-kilometer-long Po river has shrunk to a stream in some places. Thunderstorms hit parts of the Emilia-Romagna region as much rain fell in one day as it normally does in a month.

A number of rivers burst their banks due to the dried-up river beds and flooded entire towns. Pictures and videos showed how parked cars sank up to the roof in the water masses.

The fire brigade in the most severely affected areas around Bologna and the coastal city of Ravenna was in continuous operation, with the emergency services deployed around 400 times by Wednesday morning alone. About 450 people had to leave their homes – thousands more were threatened with evacuation for safety reasons. Soldiers from the Italian army were also deployed. Many houses are without electricity and gas.

Air and rail traffic disrupted, roads closed

The power also went out briefly at Bologna Airport, which meant that handling, take-off and landing had to be stopped. In the city of Bologna itself, many flooded streets were closed and rail traffic came to a standstill in many places. A number of schools remained closed.

The water level of the Po River rose by a meter and a half in 24 hours, according to the Coldiretti Agricultural Association. As a result, fields and crops in the immediate vicinity were flooded. The farming lobby said the storms did not alleviate the drought but made the situation worse as the floods also damaged vineyards and olive groves.

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