11 killed as high winds hit Italy

AT LEAST 11 people have been killed over two days after much of Italy was hit by heavy rain and high winds.

Many of the deaths were due to falling trees crashing down on cars or passers-by. The fatalities also included a woman buried by mud when a landslide invaded her home near Trento in northern Italy, and a man who was windsurfing in Emilia-Romagna.

Nearly 6,000 firefighters were dispatched to remove debris from roads across the country. One firefighter was killed by a tree near Bolzano.