The death toll from Storm Ciaran, which has led to heavy rains and record winds across Western Europe, rose to at least 16, on Friday (Nov 3). Meanwhile, large areas of Tuscany, Italy were also hit by flooding prompting officials to declare a state of emergency after weather specialists reported record rainfall.
Heavy flooding kills six in Tuscany
At least six people have been killed in the central Tuscany region, said the Italian officials, on Friday after heavy winds and rain hit central Italy. The extreme conditions were directly linked to Storm Ciaran.
In Tuscany, cars were seen swept away after River Bisenzio flooded and people climbed on roofs to escape the deluge, reported BBC.
Rescue services in Italy also received dozens of calls about incidents across the region to help motorists stranded in flooded tunnels or hemmed in due to fallen trees amid strong winds.
Tuscany Governor Eugenio Giani described the heavy rain as “unprecedented” and following a meeting with Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni declared a state of emergency for the worst-hit areas of the region.
Among those dead was an 85-year-old man found drowned on the ground floor of his house in Montemurlo, northwest of Florence. “What happened tonight in Tuscany has a name: climate change,” said Giani in a post on X.
Around 190 people have been forced to evacuate their homes in the historic city of Florence, reported Reuters.
In Campi Bisenzio, ground floor properties were damaged, parked cars were half-submerged and rescue officials navigated flooded streets with rubber boats.
Florence Mayor Dario Nardella described the situation as “critical” as the level of the Arno River continued to rise. In the Italian city, a man and his wife were found dead after their car overturned in Vinci, to the west of Florence.
The Italian PM has announced an initial state aid package of around $5.4 million for the region.
What happened in other European cities?
At least three people were also reported killed off the coast of Portugal on Friday after a Danish-flagged sailboat capsized off a beach at Santa Cruz north of Lisbon, a navy spokesman told AFP.
In the Belgian city of Ghent, a five-year-old Ukrainian boy and a 64-year-old woman were killed due to falling branches, on Thursday. In France, a truck driver was killed when a tree fell on him, and local officials also reported a second death in the city of Le Havre.
Falling trees also caused the death of a woman in the Spanish capital Madrid and another in the south of the Netherlands.
As of Friday morning, more than 500,00 French homes remained without electricity, said government spokesman Olivier Veran.
The French national weather service, Meteo-France took to X and said that the wind gusts in Brittany were “exceptional” and “many absolute records have been broken.”
Air, rail and ferry services continued to witness cancellations and long delays across several European countries, according to AFP.
(With inputs from agencies)
