"The rainfall is not over, it will continue for several hours,"
the deputy head of the Civil Protection Agency, Titti
Postiglione, told the SkyTG24 news channel. "We are facing a
very, very complicated situation."
Emilia-Romagna officials said three dead bodies had been found
in the towns of Forli, Cesena and Cesenatico, while three people
were missing.
Fourteen rivers broke their banks in the region, forcing people
in cities such as Cesena to climb onto the roof of their
buildings, where firefighters rescued them with helicopters or
rubber dinghies.
"Do not go near the rivers. Those who live in areas close to
watercourses should move to higher floors," regional chief
Stefano Bonaccini said on Facebook.
A number of roads and rail links were blocked and the mayors of
numerous towns and cities, including Bologna, urged residents
not to leave their homes.
The northern city of Ravenna, close to the Adriatic coast, was
also badly affected.
"It's probably been the worst night in the history of Romagna,"
Ravenna Mayor Michele de Pascale told RAI public radio, saying
that 5,000 people had been evacuated from his city alone
overnight.
"Ravenna is unrecognisable for the damage it has suffered."
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni expressed her "total
closeness to the affected population" and, writing on Twitter,
said the government stood ready to provide help.
It was the second time this month that Emilia-Romagna has been
battered by bad weather, with at least two people dying during
storms at the beginning of May.
The torrential rains followed months of drought which dried out
the land, reducing its capacity to absorb water and worsening
the impact of the floods, meteorologists said.
(Reporting by Alvise Armellini, editing by Christina Fincher,
Crispian Balmer and Gareth Jones)
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