Northern Italy Hit by Severe Storms: Evacuations and Train Services Suspended
Shortly before Easter, Northern Italy was hit by severe storms. On Thursday, the regions most affected were Piedmont, Liguria, Lombardy, and Friuli Venezia Giulia, which borders Carinthia.
A 92-year-old man was found dead on Thursday in the town of Monteu da Po near Turin. He drowned after being trapped in his house by the floodwaters, as reported by the media.
Severe Storms in Northern Italy: Problems with Rail Traffic and Evacuations
In Piedmont, some roads and rail connections had to be closed due to landslides following heavy rainfall, causing significant problems. Rail traffic was suspended on an important train connection between Italy and Switzerland, the Simplon line.
In the mountain village of Giaveno in Piedmont, some houses were evacuated due to landslides, as reported by Italian media. After heavy rainfall, the water level of Lake Maggiore, Italy's second-largest lake, rose significantly. In the Piedmont province of Alessandria, the Po, Italy's longest river, overflowed its banks.
Parks in Milan Had to Be Closed
In the town of Pinerolo, with 35,000 inhabitants, about 60 kilometers from Turin, the local government advised residents to stay at home. Two bridges were closed there because a river was threatening to overflow. In Milan, city parks were closed due to strong winds. In the financial metropolis, the fire department had to repeatedly respond to flooding. Heavy rainfall was also reported in Friuli. In Trieste, the wind reached speeds of over 120 kilometers per hour. The bad weather is expected to continue in Italy over Easter, meteorologists reported.
AUA Flight Diverted from Bari to Brindisi
The bad weather with rainfall and strong winds also affected Southern Italy. Five planes could not land in the port city of Bari on Thursday morning due to the strong Sirocco wind and were diverted to Brindisi airport, including an AUA flight that had departed from Vienna Schwechat. The passengers were taken by bus from Brindisi to Bari, according to the operator of Bari airport. The AUA return flight to Vienna was canceled, according to Bari airport.
(APA/Red)
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