More than 30 killed & 14 million trees destroyed as extreme storms devastate Italy in 'one of the most complex meteorological situations of the past 50 to 60 years' - UPDATES

RT
Sun, 04 Nov 2018 17:43 UTC

© Reuters / Guglielmo Mangiapane

The partially submerged home in Calsteldaccia on Sunday, November 4, where a family of nine died

Ten people, including a family of nine, have died in floods around Palermo on the southern island of Sicily. It comes one week into Italy's worst storms and flooding in decades, which have claimed the lives of at least 20 people.

The family, including children aged one, three and 15, were found in their villa in Casteldaccia after the Milicia river burst its banks and submerged their house, rescue services said on Sunday. Separately in Sicily, another person was found dead in his jeep after being hit by flood water, while two other people are still missing.

The official death toll has yet to be updated, but at least 20 people had been confirmed dead in other affected areas in Italy's north and west. Many of the victims were killed by falling trees, and authorities said gale-force winds have destroyed around 14 million trees across the country, but mainly in the far north. "We'll need at least a century to return to normality," said the Coldiretti, the association of Italian agricultural companies .

Areas from the far northwest to Sicily in the southwest have been devastated by the storms, but the worst damage occured in Trentino and Veneto - the region around Venice, which has been partly submerged by the highest flood that the canal city has seen in a decade.

Governor of Veneto Luca Zaia said the region has been "brought to its knees" after storm damage costing at least a billion euro ($1.1 billion). In addition, 160,000 people have been left without electricity while the mountainous region in Veneto has been decimated.

"It's like after an earthquake," Zaia said. "Thousands of hectares of forest were razed to the ground, as if by a giant electric saw." Italy's civil protection agency described the extreme weather the country has been enduring as "one of the most complex meteorological situations of the past 50 to 60 years."

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Update: Reuters reports death toll rises to 17, 14 million trees destroyed

Heavy rain and gales devastating parts of Italy have claimed two more lives, taking the overall death toll to at least 17, and laid waste to vast swathes of forest.

A German tourist died on Friday when hit by lightning on the island of Sardinia while another person struck by lightning several days ago died in hospital, Italy's Civil Protection Agency said on Saturday.

A spokeswoman said 17 deaths related to the severe weather had been reported to the Agency so far.

© Vigili del Fuoco/Reuters

Fallen trees are seen in the water of Piave River near Belluno, Italy, November 3, 2018

Many of the victims to date have been killed by falling trees. Coldiretti, the association of Italian agricultural companies, said in a statement that gales had destroyed around 14 million trees, many in the far north.

Areas from the far northeast to Sicily in the southwest have been affected by the storms, with the worst damage in the northern regions of Trentino and Veneto - the region around Venice - where villages and roads have been cut off by landslides.

In the Alps near Belluno, 100 km (60 miles) north of Venice, pine trees and red spruces were snapped wholesale like matchsticks.

© Vigili del Fuoco/Reuters

Fallen trees are seen in the mountain near Belluno, Italy, November 3, 2018.

The surface of the Comelico Superiore dam, farther north near the Austrian border, was covered with the trunks of trees that had fallen into the Piave river.

"We'll need at least a century to return to normality," Coldiretti said.

Update: Nov 5th: Flooding and strong winds from Italy's deadly storms have claimed the lives of over 30 people, rescue services have said.

More footage has emerged showing the devastating storm damage.