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Italy. Residents fled to their roofs to escape the water, and the airport was plunged into darkness

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Italy is dealing with the effects of heavy rain. In the city of Licata in Sicily, residents had to take shelter from the water on the roofs of their houses, and the airport in Palermo was also flooded. The rainfall also took its toll on residents of other regions of the country – in Bologna, one person died after his car was swept away by a swollen river.

For several days, Italy has been struggling with waves of heavy rain causing landslides and floods. Under water there were, among others: Tuscany, Liguria and Piedmont. According to the Italian news agency ANSA, the National Civil Protection Service convened a meeting of its operational committee on Sunday morning. Its aim is to coordinate rescue and relief activities in flood-affected regions.

Sicily. People on roofs, airport evacuation

It rained particularly heavily in Sicily on Saturday. Firefighters intervened in various parts of the island – in Catania they rescued a motorcyclist kidnapped by the rising waters, and in the city of Licata a rescue helicopter picked up residents who had escaped from the water to the roofs of their houses. According to local media, 60 liters of rain per square meter fell there in a few hours.

There were also serious difficulties at the airport in Palermo. Water entered the airport building and flooded some terminals. There were power outages – people staying at the airport immortalized the moment when it was plunged into darkness. This temporarily halted arrivals and departures and passengers had to be evacuated from the airport. Flights resumed after 10 p.m.

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Blackout at Palermo airportReuters/Annabella Milano

Death toll in Bologna

Parts of Bologna, the capital of Italy's Emilia-Romagna region, were flooded on Saturday evening after heavy downpours and rivers and streams burst their banks. The city authorities announced that a person whose car was swept away by the swollen Zena River went missing overnight in a nearby town. On Sunday morning, firefighters announced that her body had been found.

Other areas were also underwater, including in the commune of San Lazzaro di Savena. Train traffic was partially paralyzed. The mayor of Bologna, Matteo Lepore, announced that 80 l/sq m of rain fell in the city in four hours. rain. – Do not go out on the streets or use cars in any part of Bologna. The priority is people's safety, he said.

The weather situation in Emilia-Romagna is expected to remain difficult on Sunday. More cities are preparing for the passage of high water – Modena, Ravenna, Reggio nell'Emilia and Piacenza. Many roads were closed in mountainous areas due to the possibility of landslides.

Main photo source: Vigili del Fuoco@x.com



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