ROME (Reuters) – At least one person has died in heavy rains and floods that have lashed down over Italy’s northern Emilia Romagna region over the last 24 hours, local media reported on Wednesday.
An elderly man who was cycling drowned when he was swept away by the waters of a flooded river in the town of Castel Bolognese, Ansa news agency reported.
A house collapsed in the nearby village of Fontanelice. Firefighters said on Twitter that a person might be trapped inside.
Footage released by fire brigades showed extensive flooding in an area between Bologna, Emilia Romagna’s capital, and the city of Ravenna on the Adriatic coast.
They said they had carried out around 400 rescue operations, evacuating dozens of people.
Rail operator Trenitalia said several services were suspended due to weather conditions and a number of streets were closed.
The torrential rain comes after months of drought which raised concerns about the low water level in the Po, Italy’s largest river which runs West to East through the northern part of Emilia Romagna.
The head of Italy’s civil protection agency said he was travelling the flood-hit area and Environment Minister Gilberto Pichetto Fratin promised help for those affected.
“The government stands by the people in difficulty: today for the emergency, which must be backed by adequate economic resources, but from now on to accelerate (infrastructure) measures that are needed for safety,” he wrote on Facebook.
(Reporting by Angelo Amante, editing by Gavin Jones and Bernadette Baum)
