Four killed in wave of bad weather in Tuscany

FLORENCE, ITALY – The wave of bad weather that has gripped large areas of central and northern Italy since the weekend claimed three more lives overnight. Prosecutors from the Tuscan city of Grosseto said three employees of Italian energy company ENEL were dead after the car they were travelling in was swept away in the area of a bridge that collapsed when torrential rain caused the Albegna river to overflow.

The three, who were killed near the Grosseto province town of Marsiliana d’Albegna, were said to have been on their way to a job. Heavy rain was also blamed for the death of a 73-year-old man whose car was was swept away by waters from the Chiarone river in the same area on Monday. The storms and heavy rain have created floods, damage and evacuations in many parts of Italy, especially in Tuscany and northeastern regions. Most of Venice was flooded on Monday, including St Mark’s Square, and tourists in swimming costumes posed for pictures chest high in water at cafe tables.

Heavy rains and severe weather have been blamed in the death of a man whose body was found in a car in Tuscany on Monday. Police said the car was swept away by waters from the Chiarone river in the Tuscan province of Grosseto.

According to reports, the man did not have a chance of survival after the road gave way and his car was submerged. Severe storms lashed central and northern Italy over the weekend and into Monday, creating floods, damage and evacuations, especially in Tuscany and Italy’s northeast regions. In Tuscany, the provinces of Grosseto, Siena, and Arezzo remained on a high state of alert after 200 mm of rain fell on the weekend. An additional 80 mm of rain was expected Monday. (Ansa)

Watch the rescues from the Italian Firefighters’ helicopter in Albinia