A cyclone caused severe flooding on the Italian island of Sicily on Tuesday, causing serious damage in the region as water inundated buildings, causing a blackout and sweeping vehicles away.
A spokesman for the regional Misericordia group of volunteers, which is supporting emergency workers, confirmed that two people have died so far due to fallout from the fierce storm.
The Italian Department for Civil Protection had issued a severe weather warning for Sicily and Calabria on Sunday and Monday, as the area was lashed by heavy rainfall and flash flooding.
Authorities confirmed on Monday that firefighters had conducted 580 rescues due to flooding, with 400 of those in Sicily and 180 in Calabria amid the ‘red’ weather alert.
Footage shared online shows streets in the afflicted areas filled with flood water that spilled into nearby buildings and carried vehicles away, causing a blackout as well as severe water damage to premises. Schools have been closed and a hospital has been forced to reduce services due to the rising water.
“The emergency situation is widespread and extremely critical and it does not seem to be improving,” a spokesperson for the fire services said, with other parts of the country facing ‘orange’ weather warnings.
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