- By Jaroslav Lukiv
- BBC News
May 17, 2023 1:16 PM BST
Updated 55 minutes ago
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The affected areas also included the city of Faenza, where the AlphaTauri F1 team has a factory
Nine people have been killed and several are missing after heavy rains caused flooding in Italy’s northern Emilia-Romagna region, officials say.
About 10,000 people were evacuated, some had to be rescued from rooftops by helicopter.
According to authorities, 14 rivers burst their banks and flooded 23 cities. Ravenna’s mayor says his city is now ‘unrecognizable’.
The Emilia-Romagna Formula 1 Grand Prix this weekend has now been cancelled.
Talks Wednesday between local authorities and race organizers in Imola concluded the event could not go ahead.
More rain is expected in the region in the coming days.
“It was probably the worst night in Romagna’s history,” Ravenna Mayor Michele de Pascale told Italian public broadcaster RAI. “Ravenna is unrecognizable for the damage it has taken.”
The mayor of nearby Forli, Gian Luca Zattini, said his city was “on its knees, devastated and in pain,” news agency AFP reported.
In the city of Cesena, residents climbed onto the roofs and awaited rescue by helicopter or boat.
In Castel Bolognese, the mayor said the situation was “catastrophic,” reports BBC Italy’s Sofia Bettiza. Thousands of people living in one-story houses need to be rescued, the mayor added.
Currently there is no electricity in the city, adds our correspondent. People are taking shelter in gyms and schools across Emilia-Romagna.
Regional President Stefano Bonaccini confirmed Wednesday’s floods killed nine people and said there had been hundreds of landslides, causing roads in the region to be closed.
In a previous Facebook post, he urged residents not to go near the rivers and recommended that nearby residents move to higher floors.
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni chaired an emergency meeting with civil protection officials and later thanked the rescuers who risked their own lives to help the victims.
Volunteer teams have arrived to support local emergency services on the ground in the Emilia-Romagna region.
Image source: Victoria Nunn
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Floods in Italy: is there a risk of more rain?
In some areas it was not possible to measure the amount of precipitation because the amount exceeded the amounts recorded by the instruments.
Northern Italy has transitioned from a severe drought to torrential rains, with the recent flooding being caused by Storm Minerva, BBC weather presenter Chris Fawkes has said.
“Also, earlier in the month, this area was hit by torrential rains, causing flooding. This has left saturated soils less able to absorb this latest round of heavy rains,” he added.
“This is in stark contrast to the state of emergency declared by the Italian authorities last year due to the ongoing severe drought. More heavy rains are expected in Italy over the next few weeks.”
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