Death and destruction as violent storms buffet Italy
MILAN: At least 11 people have been killed over two days in Italy after much of the country was hit by heavy rain and high winds.
Many of the deaths were due to trees crashing down on cars or on passersby.
The fatalities also included a woman buried by mud when a landslip invaded her home near Trento in northern Italy, and a man who was windsurfing in EmiliaRomagna.
The other fatalities occurred in Naples, Liguria, Lazio and Veneto.
High winds created an exceptional tide in Venice, covering threequarters of the city for the first time in a decade.
News agency Ansa reported damage to the mosaic floors inside Venice’s famed St Mark’s Basilica, where waters reached 90cm.
The bronze metal doors and columns were also damaged.
The wooden floors in the nearly 300yearold Florian cafe nearby were also seriously damaged.
In the capital, Rome, more than 100 trees were felled by high winds, and ports reported damage from the storm, including to moored boats.
Nearly 6000 firefighters were dispatched to remove debris from roads across the country.
One firefighter was killed by a falling tree near Bolzano.
Schools were closed in large areas of the country for two days as a precaution. — AP