Dramatic flooding following two days of heavy rainfall across a broad swath of northern Italy has left at least nine dead, drove thousands from their homes and caused widespread damage.
At least nine people have been killed, Stefano Bonaccini, president of the hardest-hit region of Emilia-Romagna, confirmed on Italian television on Wednesday evening. There are additional reports of people missing in the floods.
Due to the exceptional rains since the beginning of the week, 21 of the 23 rivers in the region have burst their banks and impacted 37 municipalities, officials said.
The authorities also registered 250 landslides.
Emilia-Romagna Regional President Stefano Bonaccini spoke of "a large number of evacuees." In the province of Ravenna and around the regional capital Bologna, among other places, several thousand people had to flee their homes and be taken to safety.
In addition to Emilia-Romagna, the neighbouring Marche was also affected.
The Civil Defence reported about 50,000 people without electricity and 100,000 people without a mobile phone network.
Regional rail traffic in Emilia-Romagna has been completely shut down, while countless roads have been flooded.
In 36 hours, it rained an average of 200 litres of water per square meter, and even 500 litres in some areas. Civil Protection Minister Nello Musumeci explained that it usually rains 1,000 litres of water in those regions in a whole year.
The Italian fire service says it has deployed 400 firefighters and responded to 600 calls since Tuesday morning.
The firefighters rescued people who were trapped in their homes by the water and drivers stranded in the floods. In the city of Cesena, where the Savio river overflowed its banks, emergency services rescued dozens of people trapped on the roofs of their houses.
Pictures and videos taken by the fire brigade showed entire streets under water, mudslides blocking roads and fields resembling seascapes. According to the Civil Defence, 14 rivers are flooded in Emilia-Romagna alone.
The emergency services used helicopters to bring some people to safety. In addition, around 40 mountain rescuers who specialize in water rescues were on duty to help people. The Italian coastguard is also participating in the operation.
A woman in Faenza reported how quickly the water masses made their way - within ten minutes the water rose almost to the first floor of her house, according to her. "A neighbour of mine was alone in the house with four small children, she called for help and no one came. We stayed with them all night, in our pyjamas. The children were crying. It's a disaster," she told the ANSA news agency.
There were power cuts in several parts of the city of Faenza, and there have also been problems with telephone connections.
Musumeci said a total of 24 municipalities in Emilia-Romagna have been evacuated. Around 5,000 people have been affected, he said. "But there could be more. We are ready to intervene," he told Italian radio on Wednesday morning.
He said the government had already approved €10 million ($10.8 million) for initial expenses and emergencies resulting from the floods.
Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni expressed her "full solidarity" with the people in the affected regions. "The government is closely following the development of events and is ready to take the necessary relief measures," she wrote on Twitter. "The government is there - by the side of the affected population and the institutions of the region," she said.
President Sergio Mattarella had also promised the affected population his solidarity and the necessary support measures. The government has scheduled a cabinet meeting for Tuesday to deal with the aftermath of the floods.
Italy has been plagued by extreme weather so far this year.
An exceptionally dry winter and early spring left little water in rivers and lakes ahead of the torrential rains.
"Floods and droughts are complementary events that do not cancel each other out. The soils have been losing moisture for months," climate researcher Massimiliano Pasqui of Italy's National Research Council told the Corriere della Sera newspaper. "But since they have dried out, they can no longer absorb the rainwater that has been pouring over the dried-up areas in enormous quantities during these hours, paving the way for flooding."
Meanwhile, Emilia-Romagna Formula One Grand Prix scheduled for the weekend in Imola has been cancelled as heavy rain and flooding has made it "not possible to safely hold the event," F1 said.
