Flash floods
October 27, 2011
Flash floods and mudslides in Italy have killed at least nine people and left six others missing, as military and civilian rescue workers on Thursday searched through knee-deep mud for survivors.
Two days after the worst of the storms hit, many towns in the coastal regions of Liguria and Tuscany remained cut off due to inundated roads and bridges. Mud has blanketed homes, stores and cars, and schools and businesses were closed in many villages.
Residents said they were shocked by the speed at which the storms came. Weather reports said up to 500 millimeters (20 inches) of rain fell in just a few hours overnight from Tuesday to Wednesday.
"In an hour the work of 10 years was lost," said Reverend Giovanni Perrini as he surveyed the damage to his parish church and a nearby museum full of mud.
Authorities said seven people, including a first aid worker, died in the rugged Cinque Terre portion of the Italian Riviera, a popular tourist destination, while two bodies were recovered in northern Tuscany.
Franco Gabrielli, director of Italy's first aid and rescue service, said authorities were "working to get basic services back on, as in some areas there was no electricity, water, gas and communications are difficult."
Author: Andrew Bowen (AFP, AP)
Editor: Martin Kuebler