Savage rains unleash chaos: Sicily grapples with deluge
A flood has hit Sicily, Italy, following exceptionally intense rainfall. Meteorologists note that the island received more rain in just four hours than it typically receives in a month. The situation is dire in many areas.
Over 150 mm of rain fell on Sicily in only four hours, overloading the drainage system. Local authorities have described this as an "event of exceptional scale."
Firefighters evacuated residents trapped on flooded streets, with cars being swept away by the water, including in the Messina region. On Sunday, the island experienced the equivalent of a month's rainfall in just four hours.
Mudslides, people trapped in homes
The intense rainfall caused mudslides, and torrential flows swept away vehicles parked near water streams. Firefighters carried out over 100 interventions, using pontoon boats, among other means, to rescue people trapped in their homes.
Civil defence reported that injuries were avoided in the affected areas thanks to early meteorological warnings. The bad weather also impacted Calabria, in the south of the Italian peninsula, where Nicola Fiorita, the mayor of Catanzaro, urged residents to stay home.
