A storm front is moving over Italy. Floods cause at least eight deaths, several people are missing. The news ticker.
- Floods in Italy: Death toll rises to eight – widely red alert
- Severe weather alert in Italy: State of emergency due to flooding – at least three dead
- Dramaticsituation in Italy: Germans among the fatalities in Emilia-Romagna
- This news ticker on the storm and floods in Italy is updated regularly.
Update from May 17, 22:31 p.m.: Because of the sometimes extreme flooding in Italy, 50,000 people are without electricity and 100,000 people without a mobile phone network, according to the civil protection. Regional rail services in Emilia-Romagna have been completely suspended.
A couple makes their way through a flooded street. After heavy rainfall, the Italian regions of Emilia-Romagna and Marche have experienced some dramatic flooding. © Luca Bruno/dpa
In 36 hours, it rained an average of 200 liters of water per square meter, in some areas even 500 liters, according to Stefano Bonaccini, president of the hardest-hit region Emilia-Romagna.
Update from May 17, 19:50 p.m.: The storms in Italy continue. The amount of rain for months falls within a few hours. On Wednesday, the Italian Civil Protection called on residents of northern Italy to avoid unnecessary trips by car and to work from home if possible. A red alert has already been issued for Thursday.
Rescue workers inspect buildings in a flooded village. After heavy rainfall, the Italian regions of Emilia-Romagna and Marche have experienced some dramatic flooding. © Luca Bruno/dpa
Update from May 17, 15:56 p.m.: The death toll as a result of the devastating storms in Italy has risen to nine. On Wednesday afternoon, a 44-year-old man drowned in San Lazzaro di Savena near Bologna, as reported by the Italian La Stampa, among others.
Man drowns in front of house
According to the report, the man wanted to clean his flooded garage and lowered himself with a pump into a shaft in front of his house. He apparently fell into the shaft and then drowned. Surveillance cameras in the vicinity are supposed to prove this theory with video recordings.
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Floods in Italy: death toll rises to eight – red alert remains on alert
Update from May 17, 14:21 p.m.: It is a tragic record: At least eight people have died in the floods in Italy. Several people are still missing. Thousands had to leave their homes in the Emilia-Romagna region. The areas around Bologna, Faenza and the Ravenna area are particularly affected. The cities of Cesena, Faenza, Senigallia, Riccione and Rimini struggled with masses of water. The flooded A14 motorway near Bologna is closed. Rail traffic is at a standstill. The planned Formula 1 race – the Imola Grand Prix – at the weekend has been cancelled.
"24 municipalities are flooded, 50,000 are without electricity," Italy's Minister of Civil Protection, Nello Musumeci, said on Wednesday. The rain is subsiding at the moment. A brief ray of hope after the torrential rainfall in the past few hours. However, due to the heavy rainfall in the last few hours, flooding is still to be expected in the valley sections. Precipitation in the higher areas is yet to arrive, experts warn.
In addition, new storms are already forecast for Thursday (18 May). Emilia-Romagna is still on red alert. After a brief improvement in the weather without precipitation, the red alert level will apply from 18 p.m. on Thursday until midnight on Friday. Romagna and Bologna are again particularly affected. But also in the Marche and in Tuscany, the Italian Civil Protection warns of storms.
Update of May 17, 13:27 p.m.: The death toll in the province of Forlì continues to rise. Meanwhile, six fatalities have been reported. A man died, according to media reports, in a landslide in his garden in the area of Cesena. According to initial findings, a hill near his house had collapsed because of the heavy rainfall. The man had been buried by the masses of earth.
Critical weather conditions in Italy: Formula 1 wants to cancel GP in Imola
Update from May 17, 13:15 p.m.: Formula 1 in Imola will probably be cancelled due to the sometimes dramatic floods in the Italian region of Emilia-Romagna. The Italian news agency Ansa claims to have learned this from circles. The Imola Grand Prix was supposed to take place this weekend. An official confirmation is still pending.
Woman's corpse on the beach of Cesenatico – Mayor comments on details
Update of May 17, 12:34 p.m.: After the discovery of a woman's body on the beach of Cesenatico, much is still unclear. According to initial information, it is said to be a German, according to several Italian media. "We do not yet know the reasons, there are investigations by the police," said the mayor of Cesenatico, Matteo Gozzoli, in a live statement on Facebook, as reported by the Italian newspaper La Stampa. The body was found on the beach, the mayor emphasized. The storm claimed at least five lives in Italy. The official number of missing has yet to be determined, they say.
After severe flooding, carabinieri carry local residents on their backs through the flooded streets of Faenza. © Arma dei Carabinieri
Storms and floods in Italy: death toll rises
Update from May 17, 12:12 p.m.: The death toll is rising. Five people have died in the severe storm in Italy. This is confirmed by the prefecture of Forlì-Cesena, in the Emilia-Romagna region. Carabinieri divers discovered two bodies in the town of Forlì. It is said to be a man and a woman, both had been reported missing in the last few hours.
More rain and more red alert: Thousands of people have to be evacuated
Update from May 17, 11:28 a.m.: Entire neighborhoods are flooded. Some of the water reaches up to the first floor. The Savio River is experiencing extreme flooding. 5,000 people have to be evacuated in Emilia Romagna, reports the Italian news agency Ansa, citing the Minister of Civil Protection Nella Musumeci. The consequences of the storm are not yet foreseeable. Chaos reigns on the Adriatic Sea. Only gradually do reports arrive.
Train services between Florence and Bologna are restricted. Some routes to Rimini are completely closed or restricted.
Storm in Italy: Motta Bridge near Bologna collapses
Update from May 17, 10:58 a.m.: In Italy, the situation remains critical. The Motta Bridge in the Bologna area collapsed. It could not withstand the masses of water during the night, the pressure was too great, reports the Italian newspaper Repubblica.
Motorways, such as the A14, are flooded and sections are temporarily closed to traffic. On some roads, a so-called transit ban for heavy vehicles has been issued to facilitate the operations of emergency services.
Dramatic situation in Italy: Germans among the fatalities in Emilia-Romagna
Update from May 17, 10 a.m.: The severe weather situation in Italy continues. The Emilia Romagna region in particular has been hit by severe flooding.
At least three people died, including a woman from Germany. The body was found on the beach of Cesenatico Wednesday morning. This is reported by several Italian media outlets. Masses of water are believed to have washed the woman's body onto the beach.
Violent flooding in Italy: Firefighters rescue people from flooded houses. © Vigili del Fuoco/AP/dpa
Severe weather alert in Italy: State of emergency due to flooding – three dead
First reported on May 17, 2023: Rome – The Civil Protection had already warned on Monday of severe storms with floods and landslides in Italy. Emilia Romagna and Marche are now in a state of emergency. The situation is developing dynamically, the situation is getting worse: three people have died and at least four are currently missing. Hundreds were evacuated. Further storms have been announced.
Severe weather in Italy causes dramatic flooding
Severe storms have been hitting Emilia Romagna and Marche since Tuesday. The areas around Ravenna, Forlì-Cesena, Rimini and Bologna are affected by flooding. The Italian fire brigade Vigili del Fuoco is in continuous operation.
In the city of Cesena, the Savio River has burst its banks. Emergency services are rescuing dozens of people who were trapped on the roofs of their homes. A family with two young children has to be evacuated from their home in Forlì. Motorists, trapped in masses of water, must be freed from their vehicles.
Storms in Italy: In the city of Cesena, the Savio River has burst its banks after extreme rainfall, and streets along the river are under water. © Bernd März/dpa
Floods also in Croatia
After days of rainfall, floods have caused damage in parts of Croatia. The Una, a tributary of the Sava, had burst its banks. Civil defense and volunteers erected dams out of sandbags. The authorities in the community of 2,700 inhabitants declared a state of emergency.
There were also floods in the small town of Obrovac near Zadar in the Dalmatian hinterland. There, the old town had already been flooded on Monday after the river Zrmanja had burst its banks. On Tuesday, the water level dropped again, according to media reports. But more rainfall is also predicted there in the next few days. (ml/dpa)
