A man was dragged to his death in the Crisa River in Sicily as the town mayor on the island described the deadly tragedy as a “water bomb” ripping through the area
At least one person has died after being swept away by floods in a popular British holiday destination.
Matteo Ciurca, 40, was reportedly going to feed local dogs in Leonforte on the island of Sicily when he was caught up and dragged to his death in the Crisa River on Wednesday. The town’s mayor Piero Livolsi said that his death was down to a “water bomb” ripping its way through the region.
The deadly floods also forced to people to climb out of their car windows and jump onto the safety of the roof to avoid being hit by the same river.
The devastating weather is causing havoc on the Italian island, with torrential downpour causing bridges to crumble.
In Randazzo, one of the areas most affected, cars were left swamped under floodwaters. While the nearby San Giuliano bridge partly collapsed, leaving many vehicles stranded.
The town, which is close to Mount Etna, saw many of its 8,000 residents faced delayed access to emergency services, transport and schools. Anas, who manages road network in Italy, said the “huge mass of water, which affected state and local roads, caused for the detachment of the valley parapet from the supporting structure of the bridge.”
Many others areas in Italy are also suffering from intense weather. In Venice, the municipalities of Spinea, Mirano, Mestre and Marghera have been hit by floods with several underpasses filled with water.
Elsewhere, Sardinia saw a huge hailstorm – some as big as 6cm – that left water rushing through residential areas in Pimentel, a small commune on the scenic island. While Riccione on the Riviera Romagnola in the north-west of Italy suffered from abrupt and powerful storms.
In southern Milan, water levels reached more than 40cm as firefighters were called out to help clear basements and barricade up low-level homes to stop them from suffering any serious water damage.
At the start of August, tourists fled from a tornado on a beach in Rome. The whirlwind was caught on camera and tore umbrellas from the sands of Maccarese and sent them flying across the beach.
Parasols and sand could be seen whirling up into the skies and over the heads of the people running away from the beach. However, a handful of brave holidaymakers stayed put and just watched on as their towels were caught up in the winds.
Local media reported at the the time that one woman suffered minor injuries as a result and needed medical attention. A separate clip filmed by the captain of a boat at showed giant waterspouts forming off the coast of Delta del Po – thousands of miles away on the country’s eastern coast, where the Italian capital lies.