Torrential rains overwhelmed roads and farmland in the central Italian region of Marche as people clung to trees and sought refuge on rooftops to escape the dangerous rushing floodwaters.
Published Sep. 16, 2022 11:17 AM EDT | Updated Sep. 17, 2022 12:51 PM EDT
At least 10 people have been killed and several others are still missing after a sudden rainstorm dumped more than a foot of rain in Marche, Italy, a coastal region in the central part of the country, early Friday morning.
State radio and local journalist Franco Scarsella reported that the death toll was mounting and at least four people, including two children, remained missing. Also, at least 50 people have been transported to local hospitals with injuries.
Some of the heaviest rainfall has occurred in the mountainous regions of Marche, according to AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Tyler Roys. In Cantiano, Italy, which stands at an elevation of 1,181 feet, around 16.46 inches (418 mm) of rain had fallen by early Friday, AccuWeather data showed. As the intense rainfall traveled down the mountains, significant flooding was reported along the coast.
Cantiano's mayor, Alessandro Piccini, said "the historic center is gone," with bars, pharmacies, shops and houses simply swept away, local media reported.
An aerial view of the Senigallia area after floods hit Marche region, central-east Italy, Friday, Sept. 16, 2022. Floodwaters triggered by heavy rainfall swept through several towns in the hilly region of Marche, central-east Italy, early Friday, leaving at least 10 people dead and several missing, state radio said. (Italian Firefighters/Vigili del Fuoco via AP)
Some of the worst flooding occurred in Marche's capital, Ancona, a city on Italy's Adriatic coast, according to EuroNews.
Deep, rushing floodwaters also wreaked havoc in Senigallia, a town just north of Ancona. Riverbanks overflowed and floodwaters submerged garages, cars and the first level of some homes and businesses, according to The Associated Press.
"We were given a normal alert for rain, but nobody expected anything like this," Stefano Aguzzi, head of civil protection for Marche's regional government, told Reuters.
The department and Italy's fire and rescue agency, Vigili del Fuoco, confirmed that about 700 emergency personnel had been deployed, rescuing dozens of people who had taken refuge on rooftops and clung to trees to escape the dangerous floodwaters.
Photos and videos shared on social media show the rapid floodwaters roaring through towns and villages, sweeping cars and anything in the way along with it.
According to the AP, the flooding has left the 1,300 residents of Barbara, a town about 24 miles from the capital Ancona, without drinking water and spotty telephone service.
The flooding comes as the country has faced a summer of extremes. Italy and the rest of Europe had experienced one of its worst droughts and heat waves in decades.
According to a statement from Coldiretti, an Italian confederation of agricultural producers, extreme weather events have increased five-fold this summer in Italy. The agency cited 1,642 incidents of severe weather ranging from tornadoes, hailstorms, flash floods and severe rainstorms.
An aerial view of the Senigallia coast after floods hit the Marche region in central-east Italy, Friday, Sept. 16, 2022. (Italian Firefighters/Vigili del Fuoco via AP)
This recent flooding “was an extreme event, more than an exceptional one,″ climatologist Massimiliano Fazzini told state TV, the AP reported.
As residents continue to pick up the pieces this weekend, wet weather may hinder some efforts. Steady rain is in the forecast for Saturday but by Saturday evening, the showers and storms will start to clear out, and dry weather will prevail into Sunday, according to Roys.
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