The ‘apocalyptic’ floods ravaging northern Italy have left entire towns inundated and roads swept away in dramatic landslides as locals struggle to come to terms with the carnage.
New images show the extent of the devastation from the deadly floods that killed at least nine people in the popular holiday region of Emilia-Romagna, with streets turned into fast-flowing rivers.
Video shows houses and cars submerged underwater in dozens of historic towns, including Luga, Ravenna and Cesara, as rescuers scramble to reach families trapped in their homes.
Desperate families – including young children and the elderly – were forced to clamber onto their roofs in the tourist hotspot as they anxiously waited to be rescued in helicopters.
A video shows a desperate pregnant woman being rescued from her home by helicopter firefighters as water rises around the building. The rescuers carefully lowered a basket to the woman’s home, where she was helped by a firefighter before being lifted into the helicopter.
At least nine people have been killed in the region – including a 60-year-old woman whose body was dragged 20 kilometers through a river – and the death toll is feared to rise further as several people are missing amid the carnage.
The ‘apocalyptic’ floods ravaging northern Italy have left entire cities inundated and roads swept away in dramatic landslides (pictured), as locals struggle to cope with the devastation
Pictured: Homes in the town of Cesara are flooded on Wednesday
A video shows a desperate pregnant woman being rescued from her home by helicopter firefighters as water rises around the building. The rescuers carefully lowered a basket to the woman’s home, where she was helped by a firefighter before being lifted into the helicopter.
The body of a 60-year-old woman, whose husband, 70, also died in the extreme weather, was found on the beach near Cesenatico after her body had been dragged 20 kilometers down a river.
Two bodies were recovered by divers yesterday in Forli after the Montone river burst its banks. The city’s mayor said the floods are the “worst situation” the city has ever experienced.
The devastating floods have swept away cars and video shows an entire road in Emilia-Romagna being wiped out by a devastating landslide.
The floods have evacuated thousands of Italians from their now-devastated homes – and the floods don’t seem to be abating.
Authorities in the city of Ravenna today issued an immediate evacuation order for three villages threatened by flooding.
Buses were sent to help residents leave Villanova di Ravenna, Filetto and Roncalceci after the River Lamone burst its banks.
Nearly two dozen rivers and streams have flooded in the southeast of the Emilia Romagna region after torrential downpours earlier this week, flooding entire neighborhoods and farmland.
More than 10,000 people have been evacuated from their homes and hundreds of landslides have been reported, regional officials said.
People were rescued in Faenza, Italy, on Thursday after devastating floods turned streets into rivers
Residents remove mud and debris after heavy rains hit the Italian region of Emilia Romagna, in Italy’s Faenza, on Thursday
People were rescued in Faenza, Italy, on Thursday after deadly floods swept through the town
Stranded cars swept away by the floods can be seen in the San Rocco neighborhood
A view of a drenched building with debris around it after heavy rains hit the Italian region of Emilia Romagna, in Italy’s Castel Bolognese, on Thursday
Flooded bungalows in Cesena after heavy rains caused major flooding
The rain stopped by mid-afternoon on Wednesday, and meteorologists said they didn’t expect significant rainfall on Thursday.
“But if we have six months of rain in 36 hours, falling where there was already a record rain two weeks ago, there is no area that can sustain it,” Stefano Bonaccini, president of the Emilia Romagna region, told La7 television late. Wednesday.
“Two weeks ago we had an estimated two billion (euro) damage … the ground is no longer absorbing anything,” said Bonaccini.
Two people died in the same region earlier this month after 48 hours of almost continuous rain.
The Italian military and coast guard have joined the emergency effort, deploying helicopters to lift desperate residents from their homes and inflatable boats to reach houses surrounded by water on all sides.
As flooding eased in some areas, residents had to clean houses and streets with mud and debris.
“I’ve lived here since 1979, I’ve seen floods pass by, but I’ve never seen anything like it,” Edoardo Amadori, a resident of the city of Cesena, told AFP on Wednesday.
Thousands of farms in the fertile agricultural region were affected, but Agriculture Minister Francesco Lollobrigida said the water would have to subside before the government can quantify the damage.
The flood caused the cancellation of Sunday’s Formula 1 Emilia Romagna Grand Prix scheduled in Imola, with organizers saying they could not guarantee the safety of fans, teams and staff.
Firefighters save residents of the Romiti district after the flooding of the Montone River on Wednesday night
This weekend’s Emilia Romagna Grand Prix has been canceled due to extreme rainfall in Imola
A shopping center in Cesana is flooded after the River Savio overflowed its banks
Cars are partially submerged along a flooded street in the village of Castel Bolognese, Italy, Wednesday, May 17, 2023
A man awaits rescue by helicopter today on the roof of his flooded home in the town of Faenza in the northern Italian region of Emilia Romagna