at least eight dead in Emilia-Romagna after major floods

Caution remains in order. Floods caused by heavy rains in Emilia-Romagna, in north-central Italy, have left at least eight people dead and thousands evacuated, authorities announced on Wednesday (May 17th). “Unfortunately, the number of victims has increased to eight”, declared in front of the press Irene Priolo, vice-president of the region, estimating to “over 10,000” the number of people evacuated.

The streets of many localities in the plain were submerged by water after heavy rainfall. Locally, up to 15 cm of rain has been recorded in the past 24 hours and many residents have found themselves trapped, forced to take refuge on the floors or on the roofs of their houses. Emergency services evacuated thousands of people, rescuing children and the elderly on the backs of men, in rubber dinghies or by helicopter.

The mayor of Bologna, Matteo Lepore, urged the population to be extremely careful. You don’t have to “above all not take the car, but go up to the first floor of the houses and, if there is no floor, evacuate it”, he said on Instagram. Italian Civil Protection said 14 rivers burst their banks between Tuesday and Wednesday and 23 municipalities were flooded. She called on Twitter to take “maximum precautions”while the mayors of the region recommended that their fellow citizens take refuge at altitude.