Italy in mourning. At least nine people were killed in violent weather that hit the center of the country on the night of Thursday September 15 to Friday September 16, local authorities announced. Previously, Italian media had reported a death toll of ten.
Four other people are also missing, including an 8-year-old child who was with his mother in a car. The latter was saved by firefighters, but the force of the water current carried her child away, according to the AGI agency. The most affected region is the province of Ancona, a port on the Adriatic Sea, but the bad weather has also hit the neighboring region, Umbria.
In the province of Ancona, many areas were without electricity and without telephone lines, and schools remained closed on Friday in the most affected localities. According to Corriere della Seraabout 400 mm of rain fell Thursday evening in two hours, an amount that normally falls in six months in this area.
Firefighter video shot in the town of Senigallia shows rescuers in deserted streets, waist deep in water, dashing out in search of people by rowing a dinghy. The water invaded the cellars and many cars were swept away by the force of the current.
#maltempo #Ancona180 #vigilidelfuoco al lavoro: salvate nella notte decine di persone rifugiatesi sui tetti delle abitazioni e sugli alberi.
Più di 150 gli interventi effettuati, 7 persone decedute e 3 risultano disperse.
Nel filmato il lavoro a #Senigallia (YEAR) #16september pic.twitter.com/9KuzHkkFGr— Vigili del Fuoco (@vigilidelfuoco) September 16, 2022
“How can we think that the fight against climate change is not the first priority”reacted the head of government, Enrico Letta. “Italy and Europe must take climate change seriously”added the European Commissioner for the Economy, the Italian Paolo Gentiloni.
“It’s called climate crisis, not bad weather”commented the Italian branch of “Fridays for Future”, the youth movement for the climate, while the president of the Italian Red Cross Francesco Rocca said “concerned by the increase in extreme climatic phenomena”.