Severe storms in northern Italy: about 900 people evacuated Severe storms in northern Italy: about 900 people evacuated

In the Italian regions of Emilia-Romagna and Marche, heavy rains have caused flooding in some areas. In some areas in the regions along the Adriatic coast, people had to be evacuated on Tuesday because rivers or streams overflowed or at least threatened to flood due to the heavy rainfall.

In the entire area, a total of about 900 people have been evacuated for safety reasons, Ansa news agency reports. In the town of Senigallia near Ancona, for example, the emergency room of the hospital had to be evacuated due to a flood. There were initially no reports of injuries.

The Italian fire service also reported fallen trees, landslides and rescues of drivers in distress. By noon, emergency services had been deployed on more than 120 missions, it said. In particular, the Savio River was flooded – people persisted on rooftops to be rescued by helicopter missions.

Train connections between several cities in the area also had to be closed. Schools were also closed in some cities just to be on the safe side. Due to the strong winds and the danger of high waves, municipalities on the Adriatic Sea have banned access to their beaches. Flooding and landslides also occurred in the Marche province of Pesaro Urbino.

Civil protection had already issued a high-level flood and landslide warning for the Emilia-Romagna region on Monday. Residents of some provinces have been asked to avoid unnecessary travel and work from home if possible. The region in northern Italy was already hit by heavy rainfall and rivers bursting their banks at the beginning of May. There were also deaths, hundreds of people were evacuated.

Heavy rain also fell on the Mediterranean island of Sicily on Tuesday evening. According to the fire service, they had to go on about 115 missions, for example to help drivers and remove fallen trees. (sda/dpa)