Italy Faces Deadly Floods, Heatwave

(MENAFN) Italy is currently enduring a severe spell of extreme weather conditions, as intense flooding and an oppressive heatwave have led to the deaths of two individuals and triggered warnings across multiple regions, according to local press reports on Tuesday.

In the northwestern area of Piedmont, a 70-year-old man lost his life after being carried away by a mixture of floodwaters and mud, which surged from the overflowing Frejus stream in the alpine town of Bardonecchia, a news agency reported. Rescue teams later located and retrieved his remains.

Simultaneously, in the Emilia-Romagna region, a 47-year-old laborer collapsed and passed away at a construction location in Bologna, allegedly due to heatstroke, as the region grappled with dangerously high temperatures.

Officials have announced yellow-tier meteorological advisories for thunderstorms in regions such as Emilia-Romagna, Lombardy, and Veneto. Moreover, a red-level heat warning — the most critical level — has been declared in 18 municipalities, among them Campobasso.

In Bardonecchia, the town’s mayor announced a state of heightened emergency, urging inhabitants to remain inside their homes.

A local sports facility was converted into a temporary shelter for around 150 summer camp children and others displaced by the flooding.

The A32 Torino–Bardonecchia highway, along with numerous adjacent roads, was shut down, while emergency personnel worked to remove wreckage and secure vulnerable locations.

Farther north, in the Aosta Valley, three separate landslides blocked entry to the town of Cogne. This comes just a year after a previous flooding event had left the community isolated for nearly four weeks.

Although emergency services managed to briefly reopen the main access route, full accessibility is not anticipated until at least Tuesday.

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