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In Frankreich werden nach den Regenstürzmen zehn Menschen vermisst, in Italien einer.
© AFP/Hache
Rome – Heavy rains and floods hit northern Italy on Saturday. Two deaths, several missing persons and damages worth millions were reported in the badly affected north-western regions of Piedmont, Liguria and Valle d’Aosta.
Missing German Vacationers in Safety
Six German tourists who were missing in the Piedmont Valley of Valle Gesso have been brought to safety. This was reported by the local alpine rescue. The vacationers were located in a mountain refuge in good condition, due to bad weather they could not stay. The five men and a woman were brought safely to the valley with the help of rescue teams.
This reduced the number of missing persons in northern Italy to two. It was previously announced that two people had died in Italy as a result of the storm.
Bozen-Meran railway line interrupted
As the Adige River threatened to overflow, the Bolzano-Merano railway line was interrupted due to the risk of flooding. A bus track replacement service was launched. The Merano-Bozen highway was also closed.
📽 Video | Danger of flooding in and around Merano
River access blocked
After heavy rains, the Borsa River overflowed in the Ligurian port city of La Spezia, causing flooding. Tons of wood were plucked from the water and dumped into the sea, causing serious problems in the port of Genoa.
The bad weather front moved towards Veneto and south. In the town of Belluno in the Dolomites, the mayor prohibited people from approaching the rivers. Access to the Piave River has been closed. Citizens were warned not to go on excursions this weekend.
Heftige Gewitter tobten in Frankreich und Italien.
© AFP/Venance
Venice is facing flooding this weekend for the first time since early fall. The MOSE flood protection system was first installed on Saturday and successfully tested in July. The facility went smoothly, city authorities reported. St. Mark’s Square was kept dry. “The barrier system works and the situation is under control. This is good news for Venice,” said the prefect of the city of the lagoon, Vittorio Zappalorto.
Italian President Sergio Mattarella expressed concern about the situation in northern Italy. Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte stressed that the government is closely monitoring the situation. Piedmont and Liguria are repeatedly hit by heavy storms and floods in autumn.
MOSE dam system used for the first time against floods in Venice
In Venice, the new MOSE flood protection system was lifted against floods for the first time on Saturday. The lock barriers at the three openings to the lagoon have been put into operation successfully, Venetian authorities reported. The water traffic in the lagoon stopped as it rained heavily and strong sirocco winds were blowing. The flood reached a level of 125 centimeters.
The newly built system had been tested several times in recent months. It is supposed to prevent serious flooding in the lagoon city. Venice floods repeatedly, especially in the fall and winter months.
In November last year, a record flood caused devastating damage and paralyzed tourism. After that, the politicians had promised that the MOSE would now end very quickly. Bureaucracy, corruption scandals, and different political and economic interests had repeatedly delayed the billion-dollar project in recent years.
Severe flooding on the French Riviera
After severe flooding on the French Côte d’Azur, rescue teams are searching for ten missing people. Among them are two firefighters whose vehicle was swept away by flooding during a deployment Friday night, a fire department spokesman said.
📽️ Video | Strong storms and floods in France
In a town about 50 kilometers north of Nice, two residents who had fled to the roof of their house due to increased flooding were missing: the house collapsed, according to authorities, and both people disappeared in the floods.
Dozens of people were rescued from the floods, according to the fire department. A representative from the Alpes-Maritimes prefecture spoke of an “unprecedented situation”, large areas were affected by floods and several villages were cut off from the outside world.
An der französischen Riviera tobte ein heftiger Sturm.
© AFP/Hache
A bridge collapsed in the village of Saint-Martin-Vesubie. A member of parliament reported that the local gas station was washed away by flooding and that several houses were severely damaged.
The floods were triggered by heavy rains in the region around Nice, which were supposed to continue on Saturday night. Dangerous tidal waves were predicted for Nice. The Var river overflowed. Air traffic to Nice was suspended and all train stations in the region were closed. (WHAT)
