Storm Ciarán leaves seven dead in Italy as torrential rain causes flooding

  • 11/4/2023
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A seventh person has been found dead and another is still missing more than a day after rivers burst their banks following torrential rain in the central Italian region of Tuscany, the Ansa news agency reported. The body of a 69-year-old man was found in the town of Campi Bisenzio, about 9 miles (15km) north-west 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 Arno River could flood Florence after nearby towns were swamped by the southern edge of Storm Ciarán, but the high water point passed in mid-morning on Friday without major incident in the historic city. Ciarán was driven by a powerful jet stream that swept in from the Atlantic, unleashing heavy rain and furious winds that caused heavy flooding in parts of the UK, Belgium, the Netherlands and France. About 300 people have been forced to evacuate their homes in Tuscany, while many others have had their water and power supplies cut, the region’s president, Eugenio Giani, was quoted as saying by Ansa on Saturday. The disaster had caused €300m (£260m) of damage based on 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. The Italian government declared a state of emergency on Friday and allocated an initial €5m to help the worst-hit areas. Weather alerts remained in force in several Italian regions, with some schools closed, after a week in which the country has been lashed by strong winds and heavy rain. 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.

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