Eight killed, thousands evacuated as floods batter Italy

Published May 18, 2023
A RESCUER looks inside a car for missing persons near a flooded supermarket in Cesena on Wednesday.—AFP
A RESCUER looks inside a car for missing persons near a flooded supermarket in Cesena on Wednesday.—AFP

ROME: At least eight people died and thousands were evacuated from their homes as torrential rain battered Italy’s northern Emilia-Romagna region, triggering widespread floods, officials said on Wednesday.

Civil Protection Minister Nello Musumeci said some areas had received half their average annual rainfall in just 36 hours, causing rivers to burst their banks, sending water cascading through towns and submerging thousands of acres of farmland.

Eight bodies had been retrieved from various locations, the vice president of Emilia-Romagna, Irene Priolo, told reporters, adding that the rains were easing but that river levels were still rising.

This weekend’s Formula One race in Imola, which is close to many of the worst-hit areas, was called off after the government said the emergency services had to concentrate on the rescue operation.

“The decision has been taken because it is not possible to safely hold the event for our fans, the teams and our personnel,” the Formula One organisers said in a statement.

Muddy waters flowed through the streets of Faenza, Cesena and Forli, just to the south of Imola, washing over the roofs of parked cars, submerging some stores and forcing locals to flee to the top stories of their homes.

“Do not go near the rivers. Those who live in areas close to watercourses should move to higher floors,” the president of the Emilia-Romagna region Stefano Bonaccini said on Facebook.

Road and rail links were blocked in numerous locations and the mayors of many towns and cities, including Bologna, urged residents not to leave their homes.

The northern city of Ravenna, famed for its early Christian heritage sites, was also badly affected.

Published in Dawn, May 18th, 2023

Must Read

Ukraine, Nato and the future of Europe

Ukraine, Nato and the future of Europe

The spectacle of the verbal spat between US President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Vlodomyr Zelensky in the Oval Office was stark evidence of a tectonic shift in longstanding US foreign policy on Ukraine, Russia, Europe and Nato.

Opinion

Editorial

After the review
Updated 16 Mar, 2025

After the review

Should prepare economy for durable growth by attracting foreign private investments to boost productivity and exports.
Embracing crypto
16 Mar, 2025

Embracing crypto

IT seems a little prod was all it took for Pakistan to finally ‘embrace the future’. The Pakistan Crypto Council...
Fault lines
16 Mar, 2025

Fault lines

IT was a distressing spectacle, though a sadly predictable one. As the National Assembly took up for discussion the...
Revised solar policy
Updated 15 Mar, 2025

Revised solar policy

Criticism policy revisions misplaced as these will increase payback periods for consumers with oversized solar systems.
Toxic prejudice
15 Mar, 2025

Toxic prejudice

WITH far-right movements on the march across the world, it is no surprise that anti-Muslim bias is witnessing high...
Children in jails
15 Mar, 2025

Children in jails

PAKISTAN’S children in prison have often been treated like adult criminals. The Sindh government’s programme to...