Death toll rises to eight on Italian island in wake of weekend storm

ROME: The death toll following a severe weekend storm on the southern Italian island of Ischia has risen to eight, authorities said. Rescue found an eighth body after Saturday’s severe storm. It was a man, according to a message posted by the fire brigade on Twitter on Monday. The search team found him in Casamicciola, one of the towns in the north of the island hit hard by heavy rain and storms. This brought the number of people still missing down to four. The dead from the heavily hit area now include a 22-month-old baby, a 58-year-old Bulgarian man, a 6-year-old girl, an 11-year-old boy, a 32-year-old man and two women, aged 30 and 31. Rescuers say they plan to keep the search going. Divers are checking vehicles washed into the sea for bodies. A special commissioner is to be provided with €2m for reconstruction.(DPA)