At least 9 people were killed in the northern Italian region of Emilia-Romagna, where torrential rains caused floods that inundated entire neighborhoods and farmland on Wednesday.
At least 9 people were killed in the northern Italian region of Emilia-Romagna, where torrential rains caused floods that inundated entire neighborhoods and farmland on Wednesday.
The heavy rains that fell on the plains in the region over the course of two days caused the flooding of about twenty rivers, which led to the flooding of vast areas of land with water and the evacuation of thousands of residents.
“We saw from the window of the house (second floor) the water gradually rising,” David Maldola, a resident of the Cesena region, told AFP.
Helicopters flew all night, looking for survivors to rescue.
In the neighboring city of Forlì, southeast of the regional capital, Bologna, Mayor Gian Luca Zattini said that his city is “on its knees, destroyed and in pain,” adding: “It is the end of the world.”
The regional authorities confirmed that 9 people were killed, mostly in the regions of Forlì and Cesena, and thousands of farms in the fertile agricultural region were also affected.
Agriculture Minister Francesco Lollobrigida said the waters must recede before the government can determine the damage.
On Wednesday morning, divers recovered two bodies in Forlì, as part of a massive rescue effort involving the emergency services, the armed forces and more than a thousand volunteers.
The floods also caused the cancellation of Sunday’s Formula 1 Emilia-Romagna grand prix at Imola, with organizers saying they could not guarantee the safety of fans, teams and staff.
“We have to get used to it in the future because unfortunately in recent years these torrential rains have often fallen,” Paolo Capizzi, a meteorologist at the Air Force, told AFP, pointing out that global warming cannot be blamed directly. But “the ever-increasing frequency of this phenomenon could clearly be a consequence of ongoing climate change.”
Italian Prime Minister Giorga Meloni tweeted while on her way to the G7 summit in Japan, to confirm her support for those affected, noting that the government was “ready to respond with the necessary assistance.”
